Catalytic Reforming of Biogas for Syngas Production
type: CreativeWork
description: Biogas is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide produced from the anaerobic microbial digestion of biomass. It is an inexpensive, local source of energy but is usually wasted because the CO₂ content dilutes the quality of the fuel. Dry and auto-thermal reforming are catalytic methods that convert both the CH₄ and CO₂ into H₂ and CO, or syngas, a valuable product that can be used to produce liquid fuels, provide H₂ for fuel cells, or improve the combustion of biogas. A Rh/Al₂O₃ catalyst is successful in dry reforming biogas to syngas without deactivation from carbon formation at CH₄/CO₂ ratios of one or lower. In CH₄ rich mixtures, auto-thermal reforming (ATR) is effective because it provides additional oxidant that eliminates carbon formation and combusts a portion of the CH4 in-situ to provide the heat needed for the endothermic reforming reactions. In addition to CH₄ and CO₂, biogas also contains chlorocarbons that are potential catalyst poisons. Chlorocarbons are unique to biogas and bio-derived fuels due to the natural presence of chlorinated compounds in organic material that are released during decomposition or thermal treatment. Despite their presence in biogas in 10-50ppm concentrations, the effect of chlorocarbons on the dry reforming reaction has not been extensively studied. This work investigated the effect of CH₃Cl in particular on the activity and selectivity of CH₄ dry and auto-thermal reforming using a Rh/Al₂O₃ catalyst. It was determined that CH₃Cl introduction into the reforming reaction deposits chloride on the alumina catalyst support, which increases the surface acidity, poisons the water-gas shift reactions by replacing basic hydroxyl groups, and poisons the dry reforming reaction by reducing hydrogen mobility and the affinity of CO₂ for the alumina support. CH3Cl also likely competes and reacts preferentially over CH₄ for dry reforming sites. In CO₂ rich environments, the reverse water gas shift reaction is poisoned, resulting in an increase…
abstract: Biogas is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide produced from the anaerobic microbial digestion of biomass. It is an inexpensive, local source of energy but is usually wasted because the CO₂ content dilutes the quality of the fuel. Dry and auto-thermal reforming are catalytic methods that convert both the CH₄ and CO₂ into H₂ and CO, or syngas, a valuable product that can be used to produce liquid fuels, provide H₂ for fuel cells, or improve the combustion of biogas. A Rh/Al₂O₃ catalyst is successful in dry reforming biogas to syngas without deactivation from carbon formation at CH₄/CO₂ ratios of one or lower. In CH₄ rich mixtures, auto-thermal reforming (ATR) is effective because it provides additional oxidant that eliminates carbon formation and combusts a portion of the CH4 in-situ to provide the heat needed for the endothermic reforming reactions. In addition to CH₄ and CO₂, biogas also contains chlorocarbons that are potential catalyst poisons. Chlorocarbons are unique to biogas and bio-derived fuels due to the natural presence of chlorinated compounds in organic material that are released during decomposition or thermal treatment. Despite their presence in biogas in 10-50ppm concentrations, the effect of chlorocarbons on the dry reforming reaction has not been extensively studied. This work investigated the effect of CH₃Cl in particular on the activity and selectivity of CH₄ dry and auto-thermal reforming using a Rh/Al₂O₃ catalyst. It was determined that CH₃Cl introduction into the reforming reaction deposits chloride on the alumina catalyst support, which increases the surface acidity, poisons the water-gas shift reactions by replacing basic hydroxyl groups, and poisons the dry reforming reaction by reducing hydrogen mobility and the affinity of CO₂ for the alumina support. CH3Cl also likely competes and reacts preferentially over CH₄ for dry reforming sites. In CO₂ rich environments, the reverse water gas shift reaction is poisoned, resulting in an increase…
author: Kohn, McKenzie Primerano
language: English
keywords: Chemical engineering, Environmental engineering, Biogas, Synthesis gas, Catalytic reforming, Methane, Carbon dioxide, Aluminum oxide, Methyl chloride, Chlorides--Environmental aspects
date published: 2012
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:44:22Z
provider: Columbia University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Columbia University

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.7916/D8F76KPR