Dry reforming of methane under an electro-catalytic bed: Effect of electrical current and catalyst composition

Abstract

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) has been investigated under an electronactivated catalytic bed in a thermo-electrical reactor. The main objective of this work was to investigate what the impact of the electrical current on the conversion of methane is. The combination of thermal and electrical energy allowed achieving higher conversions for both reactants at temperatures varying from 850–950°C. The electrical current at the different temperatures investigated during this work affected the conversion of methane and a threshold was pinpointed for different temperatures. At this point, the conversion of methane increased exponentially with the current provided to the catalyst. Furthermore, in order to confirm the catalytic potential of steel wool, different grades of stainless steel were tested for the DRM as well, showing lower conversion in all cases, in comparison to the carbon steel wool.