How can we achieve the internationally agreed climate targets? With a patented catalyst synthesis, screening for the optimal catalyst in high throughput and combined electro chemical-biotechnological processes, various concepts are available to CO 2 emitting industries. The platform chemical ethylene has already been successfully produced from CO 2 in an electrochemical demonstrator with an electrode area of square centimeters. For the industrial sector , the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB has developed various new technological solutions for using the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide CO 2 , which is generated during combustion processes, as a raw material for the production of chemicals, fuels or chemical energy storage systems.
Catalysts are key players in the chemical and electrochemical conversion of CO 2. They accelerate reactions, but are not consumed themselves. In cars, for example, the "catalyst," usually in the form of precious metals such as platinum, rhodium or palladium, converts toxic substances in the exhaust gas.
Fraunhofer IGB not only optimizes the catalytic converters. The metal copper plays a major role as a catalyst in the synthesis of regenerative methanol from CO 2 and electrolytically produced hydrogen. Methanol is a versatile chemical feedstock that is also becoming increasingly important for the energy sector, both as a fuel additive for combustion engines and as an energy carrier in fuel cells. Bazzanella, F. The catalysts for methanol synthesis are produced from copper-containing solutions, nowadays using complex precipitation processes over several intermediate stages.
Another patent-pending method for catalyst synthesis is based on the dissolution of metal compounds in so-called deep eutectic solvents. With these methods, catalysts of different elemental compositions can be produced and their efficiency optimized—not only for the production of methanol, but also for other chemical and electrochemical synthesis processes.
In all synthesis processes, the catalyst performance is of key importance which determines whether the desired product can be produced economically. We don't want by-products to be produced," explains Csepei. In order to determine which catalyst is best suited for the implementation in question, the Fraunhofer researchers screen the possible candidates in various reactor systems. The reactions are monitored analytically in real time so that the resulting products can be directly quantified.
The researchers have designed and built a reactor system for testing catalysts at atmospheric pressure. Based on the optimized catalysts and as one example for CO 2 conversion, in the Fraunhofer lighthouse project "Electricity as a Raw Material" IGB has built a fully automated prototype for the electrochemical production of ethylene, one of the most important starting materials in the chemical industry.
The core element is an electrochemical cell specially developed by IGB. In this cell, the electrons for the reduction of CO 2 are transferred to an aqueous electrolyte and brought into contact with the catalyst and gaseous carbon dioxide at a porous gas diffusion electrode. Carsten Pietzka, who is researching in Stuttgart. The design of the demonstrator can be transferred to other electrosynthesis processes and enables the screening of catalyst and electrode materials on the next larger scale.
In the "SynLink" project, which is managed by her and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy, this platform will demonstrate that renewable energy can be used to produce synthesis gas from H2O and CO 2 —with both molecules adsorbed from air.
Synthesis gas is then chemocatalytically converted into methanol and fuels. Chemicals produced from CO 2 can only compete with petrochemical products if they are produced in large quantities and if sufficient electricity is available at low cost.
This is usually not the case for typical small, decentralized CO 2 -emitting plants such as biogas plants or breweries. To ensure that the value added for regenerative methanol also becomes a profitable business on a smaller scale, the Fraunhofer researchers have pursued a new approach and combined chemical synthesis in a recently patented process with subsequent biotechnological fermentation to produce higher-value chemicals.
The microorganisms grow with methanol as the only carbon source and produce lactic acid, isoprene, polyhydroxybutyric acid and long-chain terpenes: valuable products that can only be obtained with conventional chemical catalytic processes using complex, multi-stage syntheses. The researchers' objective is to further develop these promising catalytic systems and processes for the utilization of CO 2 towards commercial maturity, in close collaboration with partners from industry, and thus to make a substantial contribution to climate protection.
Cars and trucks, most fitted with catalytic converters, produce nearly half of that nitrous oxide, the study said. Other sources of nitrous oxide include everything from nitrogen-based fertilizer to manure from farm animals. The EPA study also showed that nitrous oxide is one of a few gases for which emissions are increasing rapidly.
Collectively known as greenhouse gases, they trap heat in the earth's atmosphere. The increase in nitrous oxide, the study notes, stems from the growth in the number of miles traveled by cars that have catalytic converters.
The problem has worsened as improvements in catalytic converters, changes that have eliminated more of the nitrogen-oxygen compounds that cause smog, have conversely produced more nitrous oxide. Wylie J. Barbour, an EPA official who worked on the recently published inventory, said that the problem created by the converter is classic. Nitrous oxide is not regulated because the Clean Air Act was written in to control smog, not global warming.
No regulations exist to control gases that are thought to cause global warming. The United States and the other industrialized nations agreed in Kyoto, Japan, last December to lower emissions of greenhouse gases to 5 percent below levels, over the next 10 to 15 years, but the agreement has not been approved by the Senate, and no implementing rules have been written. The EPA has not proposed a solution at this point and is seeking public comment on its study.
Auto industry experts say they could solve the problem by tinkering with the catalytic converter, but some environmentalists suggest that the growing production of nitrous oxide is yet another reason to move away from gasoline-powered cars. The EPA's study estimated that nitrous oxide may represent about one-sixth of the global-warming effect that results from gasoline use. Another expert, Christopher S.
Weaver, an engineering consultant who wrote a study on the subject for the environmental agency, said, "We haven't cared enough to establish standards. A report used by the EPA in preparing its greenhouse gas study, calculated that a car with a fuel economy of about 19 miles a gallon would produce 0.
That represents an amount that is about one-third the limit of emissions for nitrogen oxide, the chemicals causing smog. In contrast, an older car without a catalytic converter produces much larger amounts of nitrogen oxides, but only about a tenth as much nitrous oxide, the greenhouse gas.
The EPA calculated that production of nitrous oxide from vehicles rose by nearly 50 percent between and as older cars without converters have neared extinction. Using a standard unit of measure for global warming gases, millions of metric tons of carbon equivalent, nitrous oxide emissions rose to A recent surge of catalytic converters thefts seen across the country has been observed locally in Kitsap County as a member of the Legislature has introduced a bill to try to reduce the thefts.
Belfair Valley Road in Bremerton, has observed an increase of catalytic converter thefts in the past few months. Typically, his shop sees two to three vehicles a month that must have their catalytic converters replaced after being stolen.
But in the last 30 days, Davis said he's seen 30 to 40 cars, sometimes up to two vehicles a day. A catalytic converter is used in vehicles to control engine exhaust emissions.
The device converts toxic gases and pollutants into water vapor and carbon monoxide and is located on a vehicle's exhaust system between the engine and muffler. A rise in the price of scrap metals that make up the converters drives people to steal the device, Davis said. Generally, thieves are after metals like platinum and rhodium. Sometimes the precious metal is worth more than gold. A state legislator has introduced a bill this session that aims to stop scrapyards from buying precious metals from unknown sellers.
Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, last month filed Senate Bill , which requires scrapyards in the state to produce records for every sale involving precious metals, to include the name, street address and telephone number of the person who sells the metal to the scrapyard.
If the legislation is passed, scrap metal businesses could only buy catalytic converters from commercial enterprises or the owner of the vehicle from which the catalytic converter was removed.
The bill would make it a gross misdemeanor for scrap dealers to purchase or receive private metal property knowing that the property subject to the transaction is stolen. The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office says deputies have taken 44 reports of stolen catalytic converters in the past five months. Ken Dickinson said. Describing such theft as "a common crime," Dickinson said adding restrictions on selling the stolen catalytic converters to metal scrap yards could help.
Reach breaking news reporter Peiyu Lin at pei-yu. Support local journalism. Subscribe to kitsapsun. This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Catalytic converter thefts surge in Washington, nationwide. Thefts of the pollution-control devices are surging.
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