Chemical Engineering March 2023 - 9

Sorption-enhanced methanation
T
he production of substitute
(or synthetic) natural
gas (SNG) by methanation
of CO2 with hydrogen
is energy intensive and also requires
a purification step to remove
the byproduct water and
remaining reactants. To address
these issues, researchers at The
Swiss Federal Laboratories for
Materials Science and Technology
(Empa; Dübendorf, Switzerland;
www.empa.ch) have developed
a new, optimized reactor
concept for methanation.
The new concept uses a process
called sorption-enhanced
methanation. H2 and CO2 are fed
to a fixed-bed reactor containing
nickel-impregnated porous zeolite
pellets as catalyst. As the reaction
proceeds, byproduct water
is continuously adsorbed by the
zeolite, which shifts the reaction
equilibrium toward the products.
At the outlet of the reactor, only
CH4 remains, which can be used
without further purification. The
water is then removed from the
zeolite by flushing the reactor with
H2, and another batch can begin.
" This process is more flexible
and stable than previous
processes, but it also has some
potential for energy savings because
we can run it at a lower
pressure and do without hydrogen
separation and recirculation, "
explains project leader Florian
Kiefer. " However, a precise assessment
of the energy efficiency
will only be possible once the
demonstrator is in full operation, "
he says. An industrial-scale process
would require at least two
reactors alternating in parallel.
Kiefer and his team spent
around three years developing
this reactor concept, in collaboration
with industrial partners,
as part of project MEGA within
Empa's " move " demonstrator for
the mobility of the future. A patent
has been filed.
n
bio-based sodium silicate derived from rice-husk ash.
This new silicate process provides a circular solution,
as it gives a second life to rice husk in a local value
chain. Coupled with renewable-energy integration at
the plant, it will allow Solvay to achieve a 50% reduction
in CO2 per ton of silica. Production is expected to
start by the end of 2024.
Solvay will gradually replace its existing Zeosil portfolio
with circular HDS, providing a circular solution for
tires, as well as addressing the needs of the homeand
personal-care, and the feed and food industries.
Solvay also plans to build a new plant in North America
over the coming years, and is investigating projects in
circular HDS in Asia and South America.
CARBON FIBER RECOVERY
Asahi Kasei (Tokyo; www.asahi-kasei.com), in collaboration
with the National Institute of Technology,
Kitakyushu College and Tokyo University of Science
(all Japan), has developed a new technology for recycling
carbon-fiber plastic compounds. The new technology
- electrolyzed sulfuric acid solution - allows
carbon fibers to be extracted from carbon-fiber reinforced
plastics or thermoplastics (CFRP or CFRTP).
Unlike alternative recycling methods that chop up the
materials to give short-length carbon fibers that are
only suitable for low-performance materials, the new
process extracts carbon fibers seamlessly, resulting
in a continuous strand that can be reapplied in exactly
the same manner, while retaining properties identical
to the original substance.
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MARCH 2023
9
)
http://www.empa.ch http://www.asahi-kasei.com http://adlinks.chemengonline.com/84645-04 http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
Chemical Engineering March 2023

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