ēQATOR – Electrically heated catalytic reforming reactors

Methanol is a basic chemical building block that is produced from synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H₂). Synthesis gas is produced from the steam reforming of natural gas (methane), and the process from steam reforming to methanol accounts for about 10 % of the CO₂ emissions from the chemical sector.

The ēQATOR project aims to significantly reduce the CO₂ footprint of this process by developing electrically-heated catalytic reactors for the dry reforming of biogas to syngas, and thereafter to methanol. Dry reforming is conversion of CO₂ and methane (CH₄) to syngas, and biogas, an approximate 50:50 mixture of CO₂ and CH₄, is a perfect renewable carbon feedstock for this process. Biogas can be sourced from both urban (organic fraction of municipal solid waste) and rural (cow manure) sources. Currently, only the CH₄ from biogas is valorised, and the CO₂ is usually vented to the atmosphere. Two electrically-heated catalytic reforming technologies, one based on resistive (or Joule) heating and one based on microwaves, will be developed and demonstrated at TRL 6. Realisation of the ēQATOR technology is expected to a total decrease of 330 Mtonne CO₂ emissions by 2045 and the development of local methanol economies.

SINTEF is project coordinator and is contributing with long-term catalyst testing, catalyst stability (coking) studies, and process modelling development. Two new instruments, a metal dusting reactor and a microwave-heated in-situ mass analyser (ISMA), will be constructed and utilized in the project.

ēQATOR is a Horizon Europe Innovation Action project and brings together 15 partners from 6 EU countries, Norway and the UK.

Partners:

• NEXTCHEM TECH SPA, Italy

• MCI MANAGEMENT CENTER INNSBRUCK INTERNATIONALE HOCHSCHULE GMBH, Austria

• UNIVERSITY OF STUTTGART, Germany

• MICROWAVE ENERGY APPLICATIONS MANAGEMENT, Belgium

• PARCO SCIENTIFICO E TECNOLOGICO D'ABRUZZO SRL, Italy

• WALTER TOSTO SPA, Italy

• CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNR, France

• BERTHOLD WALTER HEINRICH, Germany

• RANIDO, SRO, Czechia

• IFEU - INSTITUT FUR ENERGIE- UND UMWELTFORSCHUNG HEIDELBERG GGMBH, Germany

• STEINBEIS INNOVATION GGMBH,Germany

• EUROPEAN BIOGAS ASSOCIATION AISBL, Belgium

• EQUINOR ENERGY AS, Norway

Project Duration: June 2022 - November 2025
Project Budget: 8 544 468  Euro

This project has received funding from the European Union’s HORIZON EUROPE research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101058293.