Development of an Integrated Catalytic Hollow Fiber Membrane Reactor for CO2 Reforming with Methane to Syngas and Hydrogen

Associate Professors S. Kawi and K. Hidajat have won support from A*STAR in the form of a S$1.1 million grant that will help them to pursue projects that help to make better use of carbon dioxide emissions.

There has been great research interest worldwide in the mitigation of emitted CO2 through the efficient utilization of CO2 as a clean carbon raw material for carbon market products. The catalytic process of CO2 reforming with methane, which converts two of the cheapest carbon-containing gases into syngas, is of great interest because both CO2 and methane are undesirable greenhouse gases that can be converted into a valuable chemical feedstock. In this project, we aim to develop a compact catalytic hollow fiber composite membrane reactor for simultaneous reaction-separation of CO2-methane reforming to syngas and hydrogen. The project seeks new insights into the molecular design and synthesis of new-generation CO2 reforming catalysts, novel catalytic oxygen and hydrogen transport membranes, as well as the engineering integration of catalysts and membranes as a catalytic membrane reactor for CO2 reforming with methane to syngas and hydrogen.