(622c) Dual Functional Materials: At the Interface of Catalysis and Separations

Dual functional materials (DFMs) are under investigation for enabling integrated carbon capture and utilization (ICCU), which combines CO₂ capture and utilization (CCU) into a single unit operation. Thermally driven DFMs are envisioned for implementation in processes where CO₂ and waste heat are both available, theoretically reducing the energy and infrastructure costs of capturing and converting CO₂ via process intensification.

One of the most well-studied approaches uses group IIA metal oxides (e.g. CaO) coupled with methanation catalysts (e.g. Ru) to capture CO₂ and store excess renewable energy as methane. In the intended process, the methane product is integrated into the existing natural gas infrastructure for consumption during periods of increased energy demand. The DFM framework is particularly attractive because of the perception that flue gas contains sufficient thermal energy to drive CO₂ desorption and enhance the rate of CO₂ hydrogenation. Although methane is the most well-studied product, DFMs have also been explored for producing CO and methanol.

To accelerate progress in DFM research, we need to ensure that DFMs are studied at the relevant conditions, without the pretense that a better DFM will solve all implementation challenges. We seek to bring attention to more nuanced considerations of DFM design and implementation that are not adequately addressed in the literature. We will outline some of the outstanding questions in the thermal DFM space to encourage targeted kinetic studies that clearly report reaction conditions and performance metrics to accelerate DFM advancement and implementation. The talk will pose the following questions: (1) Are there specific conditions where ICCU will outperform CCU? (2) What are the current challenges of advancing DFM basic science? (3) How can the performance of new DFMs be effectively assessed and reported?

Langmuir 2024, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03888