Development of a new catalytic reactor for CO2 to CO conversion

In recent decades, many researchers have focused on developing new technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon neutrality must be achieved to mitigate climate change, but despite efforts to date, existing strategies are still inadequate. Achieving carbon neutrality through CO₂ reuse can play a crucial role in fighting climate alteration. Among the available CO₂ conversion processes, the reverse water–gas shift reaction (RWGSR) is one of the most promising, as it allows CO₂ to be reduced to CO, which can then be further converted to other valuable chemicals. However, this process presents several challenges, as the RWGS reaction requires high temperatures to avoid methanation and other parasitic reactions.

Herein, this work aimed to test the conversion of CO₂ into CO via reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction in a novel catalytic reactor. Experimental results carried out with a laboratory scale reactor showed a CO₂ conversion of up to 35 % at 600 °C, equal to 91.85 % of the maximum theoretical thermodynamic conversion in a single pass with a gas residence time of ≈ 0.6 s.