Plasma assisted distributed chemical production

Abstract

The present development is a process to produce commodity chemicals such as methanol and syngas using an integrated plasma catalysis technology. The method comprises providing a fixed or fluidized bed reactor having a microwave plasma flame and a catalyst bed with a catalyst, wherein the catalyst is an alloyed bimetallic nanowire. In the process, the plasma flame fluidizes the catalyst thereby producing a more effective catalyst than the non-fluidized catalyst. It is anticipated that the reactor can have a throughput capacity of up to 30 Lpm/kW and can be effective for the conversion of CO, CH, air, water, and combinations thereof, through reactions such as pure COsplitting, reverse water gas shift (RWGS) for CO production, methanol synthesis, and plasma reforming of methane, thereby making a system that would be attractive for small GTL units.