Nano- and micro-scale engineering of MoS2-based catalyst for conversion of syngas to ethanol. Domestic production of ethanol to provide a 10% blend in petrol (E10) can be achieved from waste methane gas that Australia currently vents or flares to atmosphere. This project aims to develop a conversion process for making ethanol from syngas (the product of coal or methane gasification). Small scale, modularised plants would make ethanol locally to the methane emission source. The benefits of local ....Nano- and micro-scale engineering of MoS2-based catalyst for conversion of syngas to ethanol. Domestic production of ethanol to provide a 10% blend in petrol (E10) can be achieved from waste methane gas that Australia currently vents or flares to atmosphere. This project aims to develop a conversion process for making ethanol from syngas (the product of coal or methane gasification). Small scale, modularised plants would make ethanol locally to the methane emission source. The benefits of local E10 production would be a reduction in the oil trade deficit of $1 billion per year, $500 million per year in lower carbon imposts to industry and government, 25 million tonnes per year of reduced CO2e release to atmosphere and significantly improved urban air through reduced emissions from car transport, with attendant human health benefits.Read moreRead less
Multicomponent gas counter-diffusion in coal. Coalbed methane resources in Australia surpass $20billion at present gas prices. Using CO2 as an enhancement fluid, recovery of methane can potentially be improved by 50% adding a further $10b value, simultaneously permanently and safely sequestering the CO2, with possible carbon credits of up to $15b. The nature of the simultaneous exchange of CO2, methane and other gases within the coal dictates many of the engineering requirements for optimal exp ....Multicomponent gas counter-diffusion in coal. Coalbed methane resources in Australia surpass $20billion at present gas prices. Using CO2 as an enhancement fluid, recovery of methane can potentially be improved by 50% adding a further $10b value, simultaneously permanently and safely sequestering the CO2, with possible carbon credits of up to $15b. The nature of the simultaneous exchange of CO2, methane and other gases within the coal dictates many of the engineering requirements for optimal exploitation. It underlies the development of coal gas reservoir simulators, which currently do not incorporate this critical feature. This project is directed at understanding that counterflow and exchange.Read moreRead less