Currently, industrial CO₂ emissions remain a critical ecological and economic challenge, making it essential to advance decarbonization strategies that reduce emissions and enable the transformation of CO₂ into valuable products. However, many existing technologies operate as separate stages, in which CO2 is adsorbed and converted in two independent units. In this context, conventional methanation catalysts face important constraints: they require high temperatures to achieve significant conversion, show limited selectivity and, sometimes, the overall material can restrict their applicability in operating conditions. These limitations hinder the efficient production of synthetic CH₄ from CO₂ and renewable-sourced hydrogen.
The technology is based on ABO₃‑type perovskite oxides dispersed on high‑surface‑area supports, a configuration that enhances accessibility and improves dispersion of the active phase. Under controlled reduction, the perovskite exsolves uniformly distributed metallic nanoparticles between 1 and 8 nm, anchored to the oxide matrix and providing high stability and tunable catalytic behavior. The formulation functions as a dual‑function material: it first captures CO₂ in situ from diluted or concentrated streams, and upon exposure to renewable H₂, it catalyzes its hydrogenation to CH₄ at moderate temperatures, simultaneously regenerating the material for subsequent cycles.
The researchers have validated the effectiveness of the technology at laboratory scale, performing catalyst cycling tests and using combusting gases and air streams of different compositions, including the presence of other gases such as NO, H2O and O₂. Currently, the team is focused on conducting pilot-plant tests with a processing capacity of 10 L/min under realistic conditions.
Benefits:
- The material can be adapted to different applications by substituting the elements that form the perovskite.
- The catalyst exhibits high selectivity for CO₂ hydrogenation, favoring CH₄ formation and stability during long term operation.
- The size of the active material can be precisely controlled during synthesis, improving stability and reproducibility.
- The enhanced activity at lower temperatures reduces the energy consumption of the process by increasing CO₂ conversion rates without requiring high thermal input.
- The in situ transformation avoids transportation of the CO2 currents to be treated.
The represented institution is looking for a collaboration that leads to commercial exploitation of the presented invention.
Institution: Universidad del País Vasco (EHU)
TRL: 4
Protection Status: Spanish and European Patent Applications
Contacto: Carlos G. Gredilla / c.gredilla@viromii.com