Catalytic Technology for Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane to Synthesis Gas

The mitigation and utilization of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are among the most important challenges in the area of energy research. Dry reforming of CH4 (DRM), which uses both CO2 and CH4 as reactants, is a potential method to utilize the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Natural gas containing high concentrations of CO2 and CH4 could therefore be utilized for hydrogen and synthesis gas (syngas) production in the near future, without need for the removal of CO2 from the source gas. Thus, the DRM reaction is a suitable process to convert CH4 and CO2 to syngas, which is a raw material for liquid fuel production, through the Fischer-Tropsch process. Herein, the development of CO2 reforming for syngas production is reviewed, covering process chemistry; catalyst development, and process technologies as well as the potential future direction for this process.