The Role of Ruthenium in CO2 Capture and Catalytic Conversion to Fuel by Dual Function Materials (DFM)

Development of sustainable energy technologies and reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are the two effective strategies in dealing with current environmental issues. Herein we report a Dual Function Material (DFM) consisting of supported sodium carbonate in intimate contact with dispersed Ru as a promising catalytic solution for combining both approaches. The Ru-Na2CO3 DFM deposited on Al2O3 captures CO2 from a flue gas and catalytically converts it to synthetic natural gas (i.e., methane) using H-2 generated from renewable sources. The Ru in the DFM, in combination with H-2, catalytically hydrogenates both adsorbed CO2 and the bulk Na2CO3, forming methane. The depleted sites adsorb CO2 through a carbonate reformation process and in addition adsorb CO2 on its surface. This material functions well in O-2- and H2O-containing flue gas where the favorable Ru redox property allows RuOx, formed during flue gas exposure, to be reduced during the hydrogenation cycle. As a combined CO2 capture and utilization scheme, this technology overcomes many of the limitations of the conventional liquid amine-based CO2 sorbent technology.