Durable catalyst could enable large scale conversion of carbon dioxide to syngas

A TEM  image of fresh NiMoCat

Source: © Science/AAAS

Nanocatalysts on crystalline supports show remarkable stability producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide

Carbon dioxide and methane could be converted into cleaner fuels and feedstocks using a stable new catalyst that resists deterioration, even after hundreds of hours of use at high temperatures. The material’s clever design might even help solve stability issues in other catalytic processes.1

Reacting methane with carbon dioxide to make hydrogen and carbon monoxide – a process known as dry reforming – offers a way to convert unwanted greenhouse gases into clean fuel and other useful chemicals. Hydrogen can be used as an environmentally-friendly energy source, while syngas – a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide – can be transformed into a wide range of useful materials through the Fischer–Tropsch process.