(117a) Enhanced Gas Utilization at Pilot Scales

At SwRI, we engage in the process development and improvement for a variety of sustainable fuels and chemicals from lab to pilot scales. The applied research, development, testing and evaluation methods undertaken help bridge the gap between fundamental science and commercialization. The technologies developed include but are not limited to hydrogen production, CCU, renewable fuels, chemicals and materials production and conventional thermo, photo and electro-chemical conversions. Over the years, immense knowledge has been gained from the design, build-up and operations of such processes at various scales. Many limitations such as feedstock preprocessing and feeding, reactor optimization, downstream processing as well as troubleshooting of pilot scale systems have been overcome and understood. The systems have been developed to ensure process safety, enhanced conversion efficiencies, improved energy and mass transfer as well as overall emissions reductions and carbon neutrality. One such system is the production of turquoise hydrogen and value added carbon from natural gas. The current pilot scales systems have been engineered for improved hydrogen production in circulating fluidized bed reactors. The system is continually being screened for process improvement to bring down hydrogen costs below $2/kg. Other gas conversion systems developed include CO2 conversion to olefins and alcohols, and oxidative coupling reactions for ethylene through novel catalyst and reactor systems. This presentation will include the different approaches to the utilization of value addition of various gases.