Center for Renewable Energy Science and Technology
- University Of Texas At Arlington
The CREST research team conducted research that optimized catalysts used for the conversion of southwestern lignite into synthetic crude oil that can be shipped to nearby Texas refineries and power plants for development of transportation fuels and power generation. Research was also undertaken to convert any potential by-products of this process such as CO2 to useful chemicals and gases which could be recycled and used as feedstock to the synthetic fuel process. These CO2 conversion processes used light energy to drive the endogonic reduction reactions involved. The project was divided into two tasks: A CO2 Conversion Task, and a Catalyst Optimization Task. The CO2 Conversion task was aimed at developing molecular and solid state catalysts for the thermal, electro- and photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to reduced products such as simple feedstock compounds (e.g. CO, H2, CHOOH, CH2O, CH3OH and CH4). For example, the research team recycled CO that was developed from this Task and used it as a feedstock for the production of synthetic crude in the Catalyst Optimization Task. In the Catalyst Optimization Task, the research team conducted bench-scale experiments with the goal of reducing overall catalyst cost in support of several synthetic crude processes that had earlier been developed. This was accomplished by increasing the catalyst reactivity thus reducing required concentrations or by using less expensive metals. In this task the team performed parametric experiments in small scale batch reactors in an effort to improve catalyst reactivity and to lower cost. They also investigated catalyst robustness by testing lignite feedstocks that vary in moisture, h, and volatile content.
- Research Organization:
- University Of Texas At Arlington
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- FE0002829
- OSTI ID:
- 1164221
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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