Syngas
Syngas is an industrially useful chemical mixture of CO and H2. It is used in the production of methanol, methane and other hydrocarbon synthesis. It can also be used to feed Methanotrophs to produce food and other industrially useful products.
CO production
CO and H2 can be produced from methane and water:
- CH4 + H2O → CO + 3 H2
CO can also be produced from CO2 via high temperature electrolysis in a MOXIE or chemically using the Bosch reaction:
- CO2 + H2 → H2O + CO
or from the thermal decomposition of biomass, plastics and other carbon containing compounds through pyrolysis.
H2 production
H2 can also be obtained through the catalytic splitting of ammonia:
- 2NH3 → 3H2 + N2 (Catalyst: Na+NaNH2)[1]
H2 can also be obtained from the splitting of water:
- 2H2O → 2H2 + O2
Either through electrolysis or thermally through the Sulfur/Iodine cycle[2]. The expanded Zinc/Sulfur/Iodine cycle[3] produces both CO and H2, along with O2, which makes it very well suited for this process. The energy for these thermal cycles is likely to come from nuclear power, utilizing a turboinductor[4] to convert the large amounts of lower temperature heat produced by the reactor to smaller quantities of much higher temperature heat required to run the hottest parts of the cycles.
