Laboratory aging of a dual function material (DFM) washcoated monolith for varying ambient direct air capture of CO2 and in situ catalytic conversion to CH4

A DFM has been designed for direct air capture of CO2 and in situ catalytic methanation for sustainable natural gas production. It is composed of 1% Ru, 10% "Na2O"/& gamma;-Al2O3//ceramic monolith, the latter with high open frontal area to reduce pressure drop when processing real air. Extended laboratory aging was conducted using simulated ambient capture conditions varying in temperature and humidity for over 100 cycles (450+ hours on stream). The continuous test protocol was designed to simulate some representative ambient conditions expected during advanced pilot plant testing. The capture step was followed by catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to methane during a temperature swing to 300 degrees C. Results demonstrated stable, repeatable CO2 capture and CH4 production with no evidence of sorbent or catalyst deactivation. These findings support the case for further advanced testing to substantiate scale up of this material for producing a useful fuel or feedstock while mitigating climate change.