Methylal is an organooxygen compound used in the manufacturing of paint materials, cosmetics, polymers and pharmaceuticals. It is produced from methanol but, unlike methanol, methylal is a non-toxic, less corrosive and easier-to-handle substance. Its characteristics make it usable for the production of syngas for fuel cells, which are classified as a low-carbon energy source.
Researchers at the RAS SB Institute of Catalysis obtained syngas through air conversion of methylal. For this purpose, they developed catalysts with platinum content as low as 1%, which saves the precious metal in industry application: for example, in order to feed a 1 kilowatt power generation unit, the catalyst must contain just 80 milligrams of platinum. The main advantage of this technology is low reaction temperature and the possibility to use syngas without additional purification. The reaction needs no external energy input, and the combined content of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (the key components of syngas) at outlet from the catalytic reactor is up to 70 %, compared to 50% or less in the case of steam methane reformation.
“For the first time, we demonstrated the possibility to produce syngas from dimethoxymethane by way of air conversion. Moreover, the process can be triggered without external energy sources by adiabatic heating of the Pt-containing catalyst when the reaction mixture is fed. Somewhat unexpected from the thermodynamics point of view, the reaction reaches maximum efficiency already at 400°С — dimethoxymethane and atmospheric oxygen are fully converted into syngas with high hydrogen and CO content. What’s also important, we don’t have to desulphurise the initial reagent, which means no additional structural components are needed. This enables the manufacturing of SOFC electrical generators, which are independent, smaller and mobile,” says Suhe Badmaev, Cand. Sc. Chemistry, cited by the RAS SB Institute of Catalysis.
Alongside methanol, formaldehyde and formic acid, methylal belongs to single carbon (С1) compounds that can serve as partial substitute for ethane and LPG as gas chemistry feedstock.
