A Review on the Different Aspects and Challenges of the Dry Reforming of Methane (DRM) Reaction

Aseel G S Hussien; Kyriaki Polychronopoulou

doi:10.3390/nano12193400

A Review on the Different Aspects and Challenges of the Dry Reforming of Methane (DRM) Reaction

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2022 Sep 28;12(19):3400. doi: 10.3390/nano12193400.

Authors

Aseel G S Hussien^{1

2}, Kyriaki Polychronopoulou^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Main Campus, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates.
² Center for Catalysis and Separations (CeCaS), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates.

Abstract

The dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction is among the most popular catalytic reactions for the production of syngas (H₂/CO) with a H₂:CO ratio favorable for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction; this makes the DRM reaction important from an industrial perspective, as unlimited possibilities for production of valuable products are presented by the FT process. At the same time, simultaneously tackling two major contributors to the greenhouse effect (CH₄ and CO₂) is an additional contribution of the DRM reaction. The main players in the DRM arena-Ni-supported catalysts-suffer from both coking and sintering, while the activation of the two reactants (CO₂ and CH₄) through different approaches merits further exploration, opening new pathways for innovation. In this review, different families of materials are explored and discussed, ranging from metal-supported catalysts, to layered materials, to organic frameworks. DRM catalyst design criteria-such as support basicity and surface area, bimetallic active sites and promoters, and metal-support interaction-are all discussed. To evaluate the reactivity of the surface and understand the energetics of the process, density-functional theory calculations are used as a unique tool.

Keywords: DFT; catalysts; ceria; dry reforming of methane.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Khalifa University under the grants RC2-2018-024, and CIRA2020-077 and by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge through the grant ARE2017-258.