Carbon Sciences, a company specializing in producing clean transportation fuels from natural gas, has disclosed its plan for 2012 to market the steam reforming technology.
In the preliminary plan, the company will concentrate on continuous analysis and value addition of the catalyst, followed by alteration and optimization of the basic catalyst; application of new patents, which will strengthen its patent range; and finally commercialization and pelletization of the catalyst for steam reforming utility.
The company will sign a partnership deed with a catalyst manufacturer and an engineering company, in the second half of the plan. The talk for the partnership is underway.
The CEO of the company, Mr. Byron Elton stated that they have a catalyst for reforming natural gas, which is excellent in ecological aspects, functionality and financial matters. The drop-in substitution catalyst has been developed for catering to the global needs of around 2000 steam reforming companies. Carbon Sciences wants to show that the catalysts can be successfully marketed.
Elton further said that the coking ability of the catalyst is less which allows the global steam reforming industries to function with a low steam to methane ratio. This will enhance production and decrease the carbon footprint, investment and functional expenses of a company. By next year, the company is expected to commercialize the catalyst.
Dry reforming catalysts are being developed for natural gas rich in CO2 content.
To meet the rising demand for fuels, gas-to-liquid (GTL) technology is being used widely. Natural gas has been the basis for GTL technology. Many GT- based plants use syngas or steam reforming natural gas in their process. By using the catalyst of Carbon Sciences, the expenses for steam reforming technology is expected to decrease. Therefore, the expenses for diesel, jet fuel, and petrol production using natural gas will also decrease.