IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v149y2021ics136403212100616x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Steam reforming of methane: Current states of catalyst design and process upgrading

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Haotian
  • Sun, Zhuxing
  • Hu, Yun Hang

Abstract

Methane (CH4) is the major component of currently abundant natural gas and a prominent green-house gas. Steam reforming of methane (SRM) is an important technology for the conversion of CH4 into H2 and syngas. To improve the catalytic activity and coking resistance of SRM catalysts, great efforts (including the addition of promoters, development of advanced supports, and structural modification, etc.) have been made with considerable progress in the past decade. Meanwhile, a series of novel processes have been explored for more efficient and energy-saving SRM. In this scenario, a comprehensive review on the recent advances in SRM is necessary to provide a constructive insight into the development of SRM technology, however, is still lacking. Herein, the improvements in catalyst construction for conventional SRM and the newly developed SRM processes in the past decade are presented and analyzed. First, the critical issues of SRM catalysts are briefly introduced. Then, the recent research advances of the most popular Ni based catalysts and the catalysts based on the other non-noble metals (Co, Cu, Mo etc.) and the efficient but costly noble metals (Au, Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru etc.) are discussed. Furthermore, the development of the representative modified SRM processes, including thermo-photo hybrid SRM, sorbent enhanced SRM, oxidative SRM, chemical looping SRM, plasma and electrical-field enhanced SRM, is demonstrated, and their advantages and limits are compared. Finally, a critical perspective is provided to enlighten future work on this significant area.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Haotian & Sun, Zhuxing & Hu, Yun Hang, 2021. "Steam reforming of methane: Current states of catalyst design and process upgrading," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:149:y:2021:i:c:s136403212100616x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111330
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136403212100616X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111330?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roh, Hyun-Seog & Eum, Ic-Hwan & Jeong, Dae-Woon, 2012. "Low temperature steam reforming of methane over Ni–Ce(1−x)Zr(x)O2 catalysts under severe conditions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 212-216.
    2. Zhao, Kun & Li, Luwei & Zheng, Anqing & Huang, Zhen & He, Fang & Shen, Yang & Wei, Guoqiang & Li, Haibin & Zhao, Zengli, 2017. "Synergistic improvements in stability and performance of the double perovskite-type oxides La2−xSrxFeCoO6 for chemical looping steam methane reforming," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 393-404.
    3. Forster, Martin, 2004. "Theoretical investigation of the system SnOx/Sn for the thermochemical storage of solar energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 789-799.
    4. Dou, Binlin & Wang, Chao & Song, Yongchen & Chen, Haisheng & Jiang, Bo & Yang, Mingjun & Xu, Yujie, 2016. "Solid sorbents for in-situ CO2 removal during sorption-enhanced steam reforming process: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 536-546.
    5. Zongping Shao & Sossina M. Haile & Jeongmin Ahn & Paul D. Ronney & Zhongliang Zhan & Scott A. Barnett, 2005. "A thermally self-sustained micro solid-oxide fuel-cell stack with high power density," Nature, Nature, vol. 435(7043), pages 795-798, June.
    6. Zhao, Kun & He, Fang & Huang, Zhen & Wei, Guoqiang & Zheng, Anqing & Li, Haibin & Zhao, Zengli, 2016. "Perovskite-type oxides LaFe1−xCoxO3 for chemical looping steam methane reforming to syngas and hydrogen co-production," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 193-203.
    7. Akbari-Emadabadi, S. & Rahimpour, M.R. & Hafizi, A. & Keshavarz, P., 2017. "Production of hydrogen-rich syngas using Zr modified Ca-Co bifunctional catalyst-sorbent in chemical looping steam methane reforming," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 51-62.
    8. Luo, Ming & Yi, Yang & Wang, Shuzhong & Wang, Zhuliang & Du, Min & Pan, Jianfeng & Wang, Qian, 2018. "Review of hydrogen production using chemical-looping technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 3186-3214.
    9. Lei, Libin & Keels, Jayson M. & Tao, Zetian & Zhang, Jihao & Chen, Fanglin, 2018. "Thermodynamic and experimental assessment of proton conducting solid oxide fuel cells with internal methane steam reforming," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 280-288.
    10. Jung, Sungyup & Lee, Jechan & Moon, Deok Hyun & Kim, Ki-Hyun & Kwon, Eilhann E., 2021. "Upgrading biogas into syngas through dry reforming," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    11. Hafizi, A. & Rahimpour, M.R. & Hassanajili, Sh., 2016. "Hydrogen production via chemical looping steam methane reforming process: Effect of cerium and calcium promoters on the performance of Fe2O3/Al2O3 oxygen carrier," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 685-694.
    12. Barelli, L. & Bidini, G. & Gallorini, F. & Servili, S., 2008. "Hydrogen production through sorption-enhanced steam methane reforming and membrane technology: A review," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 554-570.
    13. Kodama, T & Ohtake, H & Matsumoto, S & Aoki, A & Shimizu, T & Kitayama, Y, 2000. "Thermochemical methane reforming using a reactive WO3/W redox system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 411-425.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bae, Dasol & Kim, Yikyeom & Ko, Eun Hee & Ju Han, Seung & Lee, Jae W. & Kim, Minkyu & Kang, Dohyung, 2023. "Methane pyrolysis and carbon formation mechanisms in molten manganese chloride mixtures," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    2. Qiaoqiao Zhou & Jinxing Gu & Jingwei Wang & Anthony Girolamo & Sasha Yang & Lian Zhang, 2023. "High production of furfural by flash pyrolysis of C6 sugars and lignocellulose by Pd-PdO/ZnSO4 catalyst," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Yang, Wei-Wei & Tang, Xin-Yuan & Ma, Xu & Li, Jia-Chen & Xu, Chao & He, Ya-Ling, 2023. "Rapid prediction, optimization and design of solar membrane reactor by data-driven surrogate model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    4. Tang, Xin-Yuan & Yang, Wei-Wei & Ma, Xu & He, Ya-Ling, 2024. "Bionic leaf-inspired catalyst bed structure for solar membrane reactor aiming at efficient hydrogen production and separation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 355(C).
    5. Jingyu Wang & Zongxin Liu & Changfa Ji & Lang Liu, 2023. "Heat Transfer and Reaction Characteristics of Steam Methane Reforming in a Novel Composite Packed Bed Microreactor for Distributed Hydrogen Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-14, May.
    6. Wu, Tianyi & Wang, Junfeng & Zhang, Wei & Zuo, Lei & Xu, Haojie & Li, Bin, 2023. "Plasma bubble characteristics and hydrogen production performance of methanol decomposition by liquid phase discharge," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Luo, Ming & Yi, Yang & Wang, Shuzhong & Wang, Zhuliang & Du, Min & Pan, Jianfeng & Wang, Qian, 2018. "Review of hydrogen production using chemical-looping technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 3186-3214.
    2. Sanusi, Yinka S. & Mokheimer, Esmail M.A., 2019. "Thermo-economic optimization of hydrogen production in a membrane-SMR integrated to ITM-oxy-combustion plant using genetic algorithm," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 164-176.
    3. Lu, Chunqiang & Li, Kongzhai & Wang, Hua & Zhu, Xing & Wei, Yonggang & Zheng, Min & Zeng, Chunhua, 2018. "Chemical looping reforming of methane using magnetite as oxygen carrier: Structure evolution and reduction kinetics," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 1-14.
    4. Marek, Ewa & Hu, Wenting & Gaultois, Michael & Grey, Clare P. & Scott, Stuart A., 2018. "The use of strontium ferrite in chemical looping systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 369-382.
    5. Liu, Yiyuan & Zhu, Qunzhi & Zhang, Tao & Yan, Xuefeng & Duan, Rui, 2020. "Analysis of chemical-looping hydrogen production and power generation system driven by solar energy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 863-874.
    6. Antzaras, Andy N. & Lemonidou, Angeliki A., 2022. "Recent advances on materials and processes for intensified production of blue hydrogen," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    7. Qiu, Yu & Zhang, Shuai & Cui, Dongxu & Li, Min & Zeng, Jimin & Zeng, Dewang & Xiao, Rui, 2019. "Enhanced hydrogen production performance at intermediate temperatures through the synergistic effects of binary oxygen carriers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 1-1.
    8. Akbari-Emadabadi, S. & Rahimpour, M.R. & Hafizi, A. & Keshavarz, P., 2017. "Production of hydrogen-rich syngas using Zr modified Ca-Co bifunctional catalyst-sorbent in chemical looping steam methane reforming," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 51-62.
    9. Xin, Yanbin & Sun, Bing & Zhu, Xiaomei & Yan, Zhiyu & Zhao, Xiaotong & Sun, Xiaohang, 2017. "Hydrogen production from ethanol decomposition by pulsed discharge with needle-net configurations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 126-133.
    10. Liu, Xiangyu & Zhang, Hao & Hong, Hui & Jin, Hongguang, 2020. "Experimental study on honeycomb reactor using methane via chemical looping cycle for solar syngas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    11. Arora, Akhil & Zantye, Manali S. & Hasan, M.M. Faruque, 2022. "Sustainable hydrogen manufacturing via renewable-integrated intensified process for refueling stations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    12. Gao, Yuan & Zhang, Shuai & Sun, Hao & Wang, Ruixue & Tu, Xin & Shao, Tao, 2018. "Highly efficient conversion of methane using microsecond and nanosecond pulsed spark discharges," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 534-545.
    13. Jiang, Qiongqiong & Zhang, Hao & Deng, Ya'nan & Kang, Qilan & Hong, Hui & Jin, Hongguang, 2018. "Properties and reactivity of LaCuxNi1−xO3 perovskites in chemical-looping combustion for mid-temperature solar-thermal energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1506-1514.
    14. Jalali, Ramin & Rezaei, Mehran & Nematollahi, Behzad & Baghalha, Morteza, 2020. "Preparation of Ni/MeAl2O4-MgAl2O4 (Me=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mg) nanocatalysts for the syngas production via combined dry reforming and partial oxidation of methane," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 1053-1067.
    15. Siang, T.J. & Jalil, A.A. & Abdulrasheed, A.A. & Hambali, H.U. & Nabgan, Walid, 2020. "Thermodynamic equilibrium study of altering methane partial oxidation for Fischer–Tropsch synfuel production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    16. Antzara, Andy & Heracleous, Eleni & Lemonidou, Angeliki A., 2016. "Energy efficient sorption enhanced-chemical looping methane reforming process for high-purity H2 production: Experimental proof-of-concept," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 457-471.
    17. Zhao, Kun & He, Fang & Huang, Zhen & Wei, Guoqiang & Zheng, Anqing & Li, Haibin & Zhao, Zengli, 2016. "Perovskite-type oxides LaFe1−xCoxO3 for chemical looping steam methane reforming to syngas and hydrogen co-production," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 193-203.
    18. Zhu, Yanyan & Jin, Nannan & Liu, Ruilin & Sun, Xueyan & Bai, Lei & Tian, Hanjing & Ma, Xiaoxun & Wang, Xiaodong, 2020. "Bimetallic BaFe2MAl9O19 (M = Mn, Ni, and Co) hexaaluminates as oxygen carriers for chemical looping dry reforming of methane," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    19. Jin, Jian & Wei, Xin & Liu, Mingkai & Yu, Yuhang & Li, Wenjia & Kong, Hui & Hao, Yong, 2018. "A solar methane reforming reactor design with enhanced efficiency," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 797-807.
    20. Gu, Rong & Ding, Jing & Wang, Yarong & Yuan, Qinquan & Wang, Weilong & Lu, Jianfeng, 2019. "Heat transfer and storage performance of steam methane reforming in tubular reactor with focused solar simulator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233, pages 789-801.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:149:y:2021:i:c:s136403212100616x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.