Skip to main content
  • Paul Scherrer Institut PSI
  • PSI Research, Labs & User Services

Digital User Office

  • Digital User Office
  • DE
  • EN
  • FR
Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)
Search
Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)

Hauptnavigation

  • Research at PSIOpen mainmenu item
    • Research Initiatives
    • Ethics and Research integrity
    • Scientific Highlights
    • Scientific Events
    • Scientific Career
    • PSI-FELLOW
    • PSI Data Policy
  • Research Divisions and LabsOpen mainmenu item
    • Overview
    • Research with Neutrons and Muons
    • Photon Science
    • Energy and Environment
    • Nuclear Energy and Safety
    • Biology and Chemistry
    • Scientific Computing, Theory and Data
    • Large Research Facilities
  • Facilities and InstrumentsOpen mainmenu item
    • Overview
    • Large Research Facilities
    • Facilities
    • PSI Facility Newsletter
  • PSI User ServicesOpen mainmenu item
    • User Office
    • Methods at the PSI User Facilities
    • Proposals for beam time
    • Proposal Deadlines
    • Data Analysis Service (PSD)
    • EU support programmes
  • New ProjectsOpen mainmenu item
    • SLS 2.0
    • IMPACT
  • DE
  • EN
  • FR

Digital User Office (mobile)

  • Digital User Office

You are here:

  1. PSI Home
  2. Labs & User Services
  3. ENE
  4. LBK
  5. CPE
  6. Projects
  7. Rational Design of Novel Ru/C Catalysts for Supercritical Water Gasification (SCWG)

Secondary navigation

Catalytic Process Engineering

  • About CPE
  • HydroPilot
  • People
  • Projects Expanded submenu item
    • KONTI-C
    • In-situ characterization of catalysts under HP/HT conditions
    • SNG
    • Etamax
    • Biomass related Salt Solutions
    • Rational Design of Novel Ru/C Catalysts for Supercritical Water Gasification (SCWG)
    • In-situ characterization of catalysts
    • Green chemicals from Lignin
  • Fuel Simulation
  • Analytics
    • TG FTIR
    • FTIR-Raman
  • Test Rigs
  • Publications
    • Articles
    • Poster
    • Talks
    • Books chapters
    • Dissertations

Rational Design of Novel Ru/C Catalysts for Supercritical Water Gasification (SCWG)

This project is related to the development of novel Ru/C catalysts for SCWG within the SunCHem project. The latter aims to demonstrate the technical-economical feasibility of Bio-SNG production from microalgae using catalytic SCWG by building a small process demonstration unit operating in continuous (1 kg/h of microalgae) (Fig.1).


The necessity for having a highly efficient catalyst in terms of activity, selectivity and stability is crucial for the process feasibility and viability. So far, there is still a lack of knowledge in the understanding of the relation between the catalyst formulation and structure related to its catalytic performance for SCWG. Therefore, this project attempts to assess thoroughly the Ru/C catalyst in terms of physico-chemical and mechanical properties related to the catalytic performance for its efficient catalytic optimization for SCWG. The most relevant properties of carbon on the catalytic performance are investigated for SCWG like the effect of: the meso/microporous structure; impurities (S, Cl, P,...); the surface acidity; the graphitization degree.



The new Ru/C catalysts are characterized by conventional catalyst characterization methods: TPR/D/O coupled with MS and FTIR; H2/CO pulse chemisorption; N2-physisorption; TEM; CNS elemental analysis; TG-FTIR, ICP-OES; surface titration, while their catalytic performance are assessed in a plug flow reactor. As an example, Fig. 2 illustrates a typical SCWG of 10 wt. % isopropanol over a commercial 2 %Ru/C_14.3 (BASF) catalyst by working at relatively high WHSV (240 gorg/gcat*h). As could be seen the total carbon conversion first decreased from 70 % to 35 % during the first hours of SCWG and remained stable. SCWG over only the carbon support (C_14.3) showed the same initial activity drop but stabilized around 16 %. One can appreciated the similarity in the lost of initial activity for both SCWG indicating probably that some impurities participating in the gasification were flushed out over the first hours of SCWG.

Sidebar

Project Contact

Rational Design of Novel Ru/C Catalysts for Supercritical Water Gasification (SCWG)

Prof. Dr. F. Vogel

Telephone:
+41 56 310 2135
E-mail:
frederic.vogel at psi.ch

top

Footer

Paul Scherrer Institut

Forschungsstrasse 111
5232 Villigen PSI
Switzerland

Telephone: +41 56 310 21 11
Telefax: +41 56 310 21 99

How to find us
Contact

Visitor Centre psi forum
School Lab iLab (in German)
Center for Proton Therapy
PSI Education Centre
PSI Guest House
PSI Gastronomie (in German)
psi forum shop

Service & Support

  • Phone Book
  • User Office
  • Accelerator Status
  • PSI Publications
  • Suppliers
  • E-Billing
  • Computing
  • Safety (in German)

Career

  • Working at PSI
  • Job Opportunities
  • Training and further education
  • Career Center
  • Vocational Training (in German)
  • PSI Education Center

For the media

  • PSI in brief
  • Facts and Figures
  • Media corner
  • Media Releases
  • Social Media

Follow us: Twitter (in English) LinkedIn Youtube Facebook Instagram Issuu RSS

Footer legal

  • Imprint
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Editors' login