Dry reforming of methane powered by magnetic induction

Dry reforming of methane is a highly endothermic reaction that produces syngas from CH4 and CO2. It operates at 800-1000 °C to meet thermodynamic constraints, achieve high equilibrium conversion and minimize catalyst deactivation due to carbon deposition. In this paper we report our experimental results on the catalytic activation of dry reforming powered by induction heating. Energy is supplied by a radiofrequency alternating magnetic field to Ni60Co40 alloy that works at the same time as catalyst for the reforming reaction and heat generator by dissipation of the electromagnetic energy. In such a way, the heat of reaction is directly provided by the catalytic bed, avoiding dissipation due to inefficient transfer from outside the reactor. Temperatures higher than 850 °C have been easily reached using Ni60Co40 pellets as heat mediators in a continuous-flow fixed-bed reactor. At this temperature methane conversion and hydrogen production occurred with yield comparable to those obtained by conventional heating. Reported evidences open new opportunities in the research of magnetic materials for industrial chemical processes.