Utilization of Biogas as a Renewable Carbon Source: Dry Reforming of Methane

Environmental concerns and sustainability issues demand the production of energy carriers from renewable resources using, if possible, technologies and infrastructure developed for fossil fuels. Biogas, a product of waste biomass anaerobic digestion, is a promising raw material for this purpose. As it consists mainly of CH4 and CO2, the most suitable process for its utilization is the dry reforming of methane (DRM) to synthesis gas and then to liquid energy carriers via the Fischer–Tropsch technology. This chapter reviews the chemistry of DRM and the catalytic systems developed for this process, with emphasis on the most important issue, namely, catalyst deactivation due to accumulation of carbonaceous deposits.