Microwave-assisted dry reforming of methane for syngas production: a review

Abatement of emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide is crucial to reduce global warming. For that, dry reforming of methane allows to convert methane and carbon dioxide into useful synthesis gas, named ‘syngas’, a gas mixture rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide. However, this process requires high temperatures of about 900 °C to activate methane and carbon dioxide because dry reforming of methane reaction is highly endothermic. Therefore, a solid catalyst with appropriate thermal properties is needed for the reaction. As a consequence, efficient heating of the reactor is required to control heat transfer and optimize energy consumption. Microwave-assisted dry reforming of methane thus appears as a promising alternative to conventional heating. Here we review the recent research on microwave-assisted dry reforming of methane. We present thermodynamical aspects of the dry reforming of methane, and basics of microwave heating and apparatus. We analyse reformers that use microwave heating. Catalysts used in a microwave-assisted reformer are presented and compared with reactors using conventional heating. Finally, the energy balance is discussed.