UHTCs composites to obtain hydrogen from the redox cycle of cerium oxide coupled to the partial oxidation of methane

• Grant number: 18/09077-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2019
• End date: December 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Zanetti de Florio
• Grantee: Lucas Zocchio
• Host Institution: Centro de Engenharia, Modelagem e Ciências Sociais Aplicadas (CECS). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Company: Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN)
• Associated research grant: 17/11937-4 - A sustainable path to methane conversion by advanced electrochemical technologies, AP.PCPE

Abstract

The steam reforming followed by water-gas shifting is currently the default method for hydrogen gas and syngas production from methane. In 2005, estimates proposed that this method was responsible for around half of all hydrogen gas produced in the world. However, it is still an energy-intensive and costly process. The coupling of the cerium oxide redox cycle with methane partial oxidation is a promising alternative technology. This method needs less control over the atmosphere in which the reactions take place and allows the usage of sunlight as a heat source. However, repeating redox cycles at temperatures around 1000 ºCcause ceria grain growth which leads to efficiency losses. The proposal of this work is to use ultra High-Temperature Ceramics (UHTC) to give cerium oxide the structural and morphologic stability it needs. In the study gadolinium or samarium, doped cerium oxide and zirconium boride commercial and prepared powders will be used. Thermogravimetric tests will be conducted to quantify the amount of oxygen desorbed from the oxide and chromatography followed by mass spectrometry to quantify the gases produced. In the analysis, it will be evaluated the selectivity of the process towards H2 and CO production, CH4and oxidant conversion, and efficiency for each material produced so that they can be compared with each other and with data acquired from literature.