(128c) CO2 Utilization: Combined Dry and Steam Reforming As an Alternative to Steam Methane Reforming

Syngas platform for the production of fuels and chemicals, including methanol, dimethyl ether, ethylene, propylene and Fischer-Tropsch fuels, has been a topic of great interest in industry and academia in recent years. Steam methane reforming (SMR) which is the most widely applied method of producing syngas from natural gas, reacts natural gas with steam. Dry reforming of methane (DRM) uses waste carbon dioxide to produce syngas from natural gas. Dry reforming alone has not yet been implemented commercially; however, a combination of steam methane reforming and dry reforming of methane (SMR+DRM) has been used in certain plants for several years.

This paper deals with the simulation of both the SMR and SMR+DRM processes, and an evaluation based on economic and environmental criteria to determine whether the SMR+DRM process is competitive with the more popular SMR process. From the results, it is observed that the SMR+DRM process has a lower carbon footprint. And, with the development of more efficient DRM catalysts, this process could be economically competitive with steam methane reforming.