(129d) Synthesis of Ceria Based Redox Materials Using Co-Precipitation Method for Solar Thermochemical Application

Solar driven thermochemical splitting of H₂O and CO₂ using metal oxide based redox reactions is considered as a promising new technology for the production of syngas, bypassing the utilization of fossil fuels. Syngas i.e. a mixture of H₂ and CO is the feedstock for the production of liquid transportation fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel via the Fischer Tropsch process. The production of solar syngas via thermochemical splitting of H₂O and CO₂ is an attractive green process. Among the various metal oxides investigated in past, ceria based redox materials are considered as promising once due to their excellent redox reactivity and high fuel production capacity. In this investigation, the ability of various ceria based redox materials towards splitting of CO₂ was estimated experimentally. The ceria based redox materials were prepared via co-precipitation method and tested towards the CO₂ splitting reaction using a high temperature TGA, and packed bed reactor set-up. The pre-reaction and post-reaction characterization of the ceria based redox materials was performed using different analytical methods such as powder XRD, BET surface area analyzer, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and others. Obtained experimental results will be presented and compared with previously published literature.