{"id":444112,"date":"2020-07-15T09:11:51","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T13:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=444112"},"modified":"2020-07-24T09:04:59","modified_gmt":"2020-07-24T13:04:59","slug":"chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/","title":{"rendered":"This low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale"},"content":{"rendered":"
For the first time, Rochester chemical engineers have demonstrated a \u2018potassium-promoted\u2019 catalyst\u2019s potential for use on an industrial scale.<\/div>\n

Now, the Navy\u2019s quest to power its ships by converting seawater into fuel is nearer fruition.<\/p>\n

\"Reactor
This reactor at OxEon Energy was used to validate the effectiveness of the potassium-promoted molybdenum carbide catalyst on an industrial scale. (OxEon Energy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ä¢¹½´«Ã½<\/a> chemical engineers\u2014in collaboration with researchers at the Naval Research Laboratory, the University of Pittsburgh, and OxEon Energy\u2014have demonstrated that a potassium-promoted molybdenum carbide catalyst efficiently and reliably converts carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, a critical step in turning seawater into fuel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first demonstration that this type of molybdenum carbide catalyst can be used on an industrial scale,\u201d says Marc Porosoff<\/a>, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering<\/a> at Rochester. In a paper in the journal Energy & Environmental Science<\/em><\/a>, the researchers describe an exhaustive series of experiments they conducted at molecular, laboratory, and pilot scales to document the catalyst\u2019s suitability for scale-up.<\/p>\n

If navy ships could create their own fuel from the seawater they travel through, they could remain in continuous operation. Other than a few nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, most navy ships must periodically align themselves alongside tanker ships to replenish their fuel oil, which can be difficult in rough weather. The project could also provide fuel for fighter jets on the nuclear-powered carriers.<\/p>\n

In 2014, a Naval Research Laboratory team led by Heather Willauer announced it had used a catalytic converter to extract carbon dioxide and hydrogen from seawater and then converted the gases into liquid hydrocarbons at a 92 percent efficiency rate.<\/p>\n

Since then, the focus has been on increasing the efficiency of the process and scaling it up to produce fuel in sufficient quantities.<\/p>\n

A key step in the seawater-to-fuel conversion process<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The carbon dioxide extracted from seawater is extremely difficult to convert directly into liquid hydrocarbons with existing methods. So, it is necessary to first convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide via the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction. The carbon monoxide can then be converted into liquid hydrocarbons via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.<\/p>\n

\"Madeline
Madeline Vonglis \u201920, who interned with the Porosoff research group last summer, conducted many of the laboratory-scale experiments to characterize the potassium-promoted molybdenum carbide catalyst, and is second author on the Energy & Environmental Science<\/em>\u00a0paper. She\u2019ll begin her PhD in chemical engineering this fall at Pennsylvania State University. (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Typically, catalysts for RWGS contain expensive precious metals and deactivate rapidly under reaction conditions. However, the potassium-modified molybdenum carbide catalyst is synthesized from low-cost components and did not show any signs of deactivation during continuous operation of the 10-day pilot-scale study. That\u2019s why this demonstration of the molybdenum carbide catalyst is important.<\/p>\n

Porosoff, who first began working on the project while serving as a postdoctoral research associate with Willauer\u2019s team, discovered that adding potassium to a molybdenum carbide catalyst supported on a surface of gamma alumina could serve as a low-cost, stable, and highly selective catalyst for converting carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide during RWGS.<\/p>\n

The potassium lowers the energy barrier associated with the RWGS reaction, while the gamma alumina\u2014marked with grooves and pores, much like a sponge\u2014helps ensure that the molybdenum carbide catalyst particles remain dispersed, maximizing the surface area available for reaction, Porosoff says.<\/p>\n

To determine whether potassium-promoted molybdenum carbide might also be useful for capturing and converting carbon dioxide from power plants, the research group will conduct further experiments to test the catalyst\u2019s stability when exposed to common contaminants found in flue gas such as mercury, sulfur, cadmium, and chlorine.<\/p>\n

Rochester coauthors include lead author Mitchell Juneau, a PhD student in the Porosoff research group, and Madeline Vonglis \u201920, a former undergraduate researcher.<\/p>\n

An Office of Naval Research award supported this project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the first time, Rochester chemical engineers have demonstrated that a \u201cpotassium-promoted\u201d chemical catalyst can be used to convert seawater into fuel on an industrial scale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":286,"featured_media":444162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[18842,18632,18572],"class_list":["post-444112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sci-tech","tag-department-of-chemical-and-sustainability-engineering","tag-hajim-school-of-engineering-and-applied-sciences","tag-research-finding"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThis low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rochester researchers have demonstrated that a \u201cpotassium-promoted\u201d chemical catalyst can be used to convert seawater into fuel on an industrial scale.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rochester researchers have demonstrated that a \u201cpotassium-promoted\u201d chemical catalyst can be used to convert seawater into fuel on an industrial scale.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-07-15T13:11:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-24T13:04:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fea-usns-joshua-humphreys-refuels-uss-boxer.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"619\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bob Marcotte\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bob Marcotte\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bob Marcotte\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e0d8d271cd290d592461fa9cefca013b\"},\"headline\":\"This low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-15T13:11:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-24T13:04:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":665,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/fea-usns-joshua-humphreys-refuels-uss-boxer.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering\",\"Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences\",\"research finding\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Science & Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/\",\"name\":\"This low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/fea-usns-joshua-humphreys-refuels-uss-boxer.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-15T13:11:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-24T13:04:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e0d8d271cd290d592461fa9cefca013b\"},\"description\":\"Rochester researchers have demonstrated that a \u201cpotassium-promoted\u201d chemical catalyst can be used to convert seawater into fuel on an industrial scale.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/fea-usns-joshua-humphreys-refuels-uss-boxer.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/fea-usns-joshua-humphreys-refuels-uss-boxer.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":619,\"caption\":\"A replenishment oiler, left, refuels a naval ship at sea. The Porosoff research group at the URochester has demonstrated that a potassium-promoted molybdenum carbide catalyst can help the US Navy achieve its goal of converting seawater to fuel, effectively eliminating the need for traditional refueling operations. (Getty Images photo)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"This low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\",\"name\":\"News Center\",\"description\":\"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e0d8d271cd290d592461fa9cefca013b\",\"name\":\"Bob Marcotte\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/author\\\/bmarcotte\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale","description":"Rochester researchers have demonstrated that a \u201cpotassium-promoted\u201d chemical catalyst can be used to convert seawater into fuel on an industrial scale.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale","og_description":"Rochester researchers have demonstrated that a \u201cpotassium-promoted\u201d chemical catalyst can be used to convert seawater into fuel on an industrial scale.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/","og_site_name":"News Center","article_published_time":"2020-07-15T13:11:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-07-24T13:04:59+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fea-usns-joshua-humphreys-refuels-uss-boxer.jpg","width":1000,"height":619,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Bob Marcotte","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bob Marcotte","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/"},"author":{"name":"Bob Marcotte","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/e0d8d271cd290d592461fa9cefca013b"},"headline":"This low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale","datePublished":"2020-07-15T13:11:51+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-24T13:04:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/"},"wordCount":665,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fea-usns-joshua-humphreys-refuels-uss-boxer.jpg","keywords":["Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering","Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences","research finding"],"articleSection":["Science & Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/","name":"This low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fea-usns-joshua-humphreys-refuels-uss-boxer.jpg","datePublished":"2020-07-15T13:11:51+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-24T13:04:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/e0d8d271cd290d592461fa9cefca013b"},"description":"Rochester researchers have demonstrated that a \u201cpotassium-promoted\u201d chemical catalyst can be used to convert seawater into fuel on an industrial scale.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fea-usns-joshua-humphreys-refuels-uss-boxer.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fea-usns-joshua-humphreys-refuels-uss-boxer.jpg","width":1000,"height":619,"caption":"A replenishment oiler, left, refuels a naval ship at sea. The Porosoff research group at the URochester has demonstrated that a potassium-promoted molybdenum carbide catalyst can help the US Navy achieve its goal of converting seawater to fuel, effectively eliminating the need for traditional refueling operations. (Getty Images photo)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/chemical-catalyst-helps-convert-seawater-into-fuel-industrial-scale-444112\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"This low-cost catalyst helps turn seawater into fuel at scale"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/","name":"News Center","description":"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/e0d8d271cd290d592461fa9cefca013b","name":"Bob Marcotte","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/author\/bmarcotte\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/286"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444112"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":445902,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444112\/revisions\/445902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}