New aspects of syngas production and use

The syngas based routes art: efficient, but still expensive. The presentation summarizes the state of art and analyzes the constraints of the technology, and the role of the catalyst. Recent studies have led to a better understanding of the mechanism. The coverage of carbidic carbon which is the precursor for forming whisker carbon is determined by the methane dissociation as well as the availability of surface oxygen. Then is evidence that both reactions can be influenced by the composition of the catalyst. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.