Project R-16140

Inductively heatable catalysts to increase energy efficiency and flexibility of CO2 conversion via rWGS (Research)

Catalytic reactions are crucial for the energy transition, enabling the creation of fine chemicals from renewable feedstocks or the storage of solar energy, such as hydrogen via catalytic water splitting. Endothermic catalytic reactions mostly require high temperatures and constant energy input to drive the chemical reaction. The required energy is delivered to a large extent via convection heating of the catalytic reaction, using, for example, a gas oven. The large mass that needs to be heated to high temperatures makes these processes very inflexible since it takes a long time to heat and cool the reactor. Furthermore, large amounts of energy are required to heat the reactor and maintain it at a high temperature during the reaction. Via induction, heat can be generated directly within magnetic objects. Cycling ferromagnetic nanoparticles through an alternating magnetic field results in energetic losses due to magnetic hysteresis, which are manifested as heat dissipation. When these particles are integrated into a catalyst, heat can be applied directly to the catalyst bed without the need to heat the entire catalytic reactor. Because of the significantly lower mass that needs to be heated, energy demand and time to heat and cool can be reduced significantly, increasing energy efficiency and flexibility of the process. In addition, induction heating can be used to electrify catalytic processes, increasing power conversion efficiency and significantly reducing CO2 emissions associated with these processes. In this research project, novel catalysts are being investigated that combine magnetic nanoparticles for induction heating with active materials to catalyse CO2 conversion. The novel catalysts will be studied in detail, and their impact on the reverse water gas shift reaction (rWGS) will be validated. The project entails the development of new synthetic procedures to realise the above-mentioned materials and their detailed characterisation, as well as developing novel catalytic processes for induction-heated CO 2 conversion via the rWGS reaction.

16 November 2025 - 15 November 2029