The renaissance of the Sabatier reaction and its applications on Earth and in space

The Sabatier reaction (that is, CO 2 methanation) is undergoing a revival for two main reasons. First, the power-to-gas concept offers the prospect of large-scale recycling of (point source) CO 2 emissions, in combination with the use of large quantities of renewable energy to form methane. When thi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature catalysis Vol. 2; no. 3; pp. 188 - 197
Main Authors: Vogt, Charlotte, Monai, Matteo, Kramer, Gert Jan, Weckhuysen, Bert M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.03.2019
Nature Publishing Group
Subjects:
639/4077/4079
639/638/169
639/638/77/885
639/638/77/887
Alternative energy sources
Biomass
Boundary conditions
Carbon dioxide
Carbon sequestration
Catalysis
Chemicals
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Crude oil
Earth
Electricity
Electrocatalysis
Emissions
Energy industry
Energy transition
Fossil fuels
Global warming
Hydrocarbons
Hydrogen
Hydrogenation
Industrial plant emissions
Methanation
Methane
Perspective
Reaction products
Sabatier reaction
Sabatier, Paul (1854-1941)
Space exploration
Temperature
ISSN:2520-1158, 2520-1158
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The Sabatier reaction (that is, CO 2 methanation) is undergoing a revival for two main reasons. First, the power-to-gas concept offers the prospect of large-scale recycling of (point source) CO 2 emissions, in combination with the use of large quantities of renewable energy to form methane. When this can be achieved in a cost-effective manner, it can use the gas distribution infrastructure that already exists. However, methanation is no simple panacea to the detrimental environmental effect of CO 2 emissions, and reaction products other than methane should also be targeted. Second, methanation has been identified as an important reaction to facilitate long-term space exploration missions by space agencies, such as NASA. This Perspective discusses the current understanding of CO 2 hydrogenation within these concepts, from fundamental mechanistic aspects to several parameters that will ultimately define its technical and economic feasibility on Earth and in space, as we transition into the era of small-molecule activation. The hydrogenation of CO 2 to form methane has been known for over a century. However, given increased interest in small-molecule activation for energy storage, and improved catalysts and understanding of the process, it is worthwhile to look again at the reaction. This Perspective discusses recent work on the fundamentals of the Sabatier reaction and also the potential for large-scale applications.
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ISSN:2520-1158
2520-1158
DOI:10.1038/s41929-019-0244-4