Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on African Sustainable Energy Solutions (AfrSusEnS 2024)

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An Assessment of Dry Reforming of Methane: A Mitigated Approach to Technology Investment

Authors
Zama G. Duma1, *, Thembelihle Mehlo1, Minal Soni1
1HySA Infrastructure Centre of Competence, Centre for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials (CeNAM), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
*Corresponding author. Email: zduma@csir.co.za
Corresponding Author
Zama G. Duma
Available Online 22 July 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-797-7_5How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Syngas; methane reforming; catalyst deactivation; carbon utilisation; process flow scheme
Abstract

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is a reaction of methane and carbon dioxide to produce synthesis gas (syngas), a hydrogen and carbon monoxide (H2/CO) mixture, which can have applications in the petrochemicals sector. While DRM is topical at face value, it does produce a syngas with a low H2/CO ratio not typically used by the industry. This article highlights a desktop literature survey of practical application of a progressive approach to technology investment decisions. Key technical and business risks associated with funding the development of a high-performance DRM catalyst was identified. The study indicated the cost implications of integrating DRM technology with a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) plant where a deficit of H2 in the syngas, >1, requires external supply to increase it to an applicable ratio of 2. The article also compares DRM and its hydrogen-lean syngas with existing syngas production technologies such as steam methane reforming (SMR) and partial oxidation (PO). It also includes an overview of the reactions that influence DRM’s catalyst performance and an integrated impact assessment of DRM when applied to a specific use application.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on African Sustainable Energy Solutions (AfrSusEnS 2024)
Series
Advances in Engineering Research
Publication Date
22 July 2025
ISBN
978-94-6463-797-7
ISSN
2352-5401
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-797-7_5How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Zama G. Duma
AU  - Thembelihle Mehlo
AU  - Minal Soni
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/07/22
TI  - An Assessment of Dry Reforming of Methane: A Mitigated Approach to Technology Investment
BT  - Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on African Sustainable Energy Solutions (AfrSusEnS 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 27
EP  - 35
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-797-7_5
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-797-7_5
ID  - Duma2025
ER  -