The Novosibirsk State Technical University (NETI) is developing a technology for producing catalysts for processing natural gas with a high content of hydrogen sulfide. This technology will make it possible to obtain two valuable products as a result of the catalytic reaction — carbon and hydrogen, which can be used in different fields: hydrogen — in metallurgy, automotive industry, carbon — in the manufacture of sensors for determining the concentration of explosive gases, as well as in the production of automobile tires.
"The project is aimed at researching the technology of processing associated petroleum gas. A catalyst is needed for processing, we synthesize it using a one-step method. This method is very fast compared to many other similar methods, does not form liquid effluents and can be easily scaled. The method is called solution combustion (English), or gorenje solutions (if translated literally). We are getting new catalytic systems so that we can then test them in a catalytic reactor. Based on the test results, we evaluate the efficiency of the catalyst. In this case, we obtain two valuable reaction products: carbon and hydrogen. The technology of hydrogen production by this method is important for reducing the "carbon footprint" and for implementation in oil refining, oil and gas chemistry. During synthesis, we obtain a unique carbon material with the addition of sulfur, which has a wide range of applications: it can be used as an additive for the manufacture of composite materials, gas sensors operating at room temperature, as an additive in tire manufacturing technology," said a researcher at the Laboratory of Chemical Technology of functional Materials of NSTU-NETI, head of the project "Single—stage Synthesis catalysts for processing natural gas with a high content of hydrogen sulfide" Candidate of Technical Sciences Pavel Kurmashov.
According to him, the advantage of the method itself is that with the help of single-stage synthesis, it is possible to obtain catalysts in one stage without the use of additional reagents, maintaining a certain pH level (as often happens in liquid-phase processes), with minimal energy and time costs, that is, faster and easier.
"The peculiarity of the study is that the catalyst will be tested for its effectiveness in working with mixtures of hydrocarbons with a high content of hydrogen sulfide. This brings the project as close as possible to the industry. In laboratory tests, we try as much as possible to achieve the maximum and even extreme conditions for the operation of the catalyst, which may take place in reality. Therefore, the project is important not only from a scientific point of view, but also from a technological point of view," Pavel Kurmashov stressed.
The project "Single-stage synthesis of catalysts for processing natural gas with a high content of hydrogen sulfide" was included in the list of supported projects following the results of the 2023 competition for grants from the Russian Science Foundation. Grants are allocated for the implementation of fundamental and exploratory scientific research.