High temperature methanation: Catalyst considerations

During the last decade, Substitute Natural Gas (SNG) produced from coal, biomass or other carbonaceous materials has re-emerged and gained considerable attention in some parts of the world where NG or shale gas is not readily available. This process often involves partial oxidation or gasification of the carbon-containing materials to synthesis gas, which subsequently goes through a high temperature methanation step to produce SNG. There are several critical requirements on the methanation catalysts. They need to be sufficiently active at low temperatures, resistant against sintering at high temperatures, and are resistant to other deactivation phenomena, for example gum and carbonyl formation. This contribution illustrates how catalysts are tested for high temperature methanation, taking into account these challenges, in order to allow for more competitive and flexible plant design