Selective Production of Methane from Aqueous Biocarbohydrate Streams over a Mixture of Platinum and Ruthenium Catalysts.

A one-step process for the selective production of methane from low-value aqueous carbohydrate streams is proposed. Sorbitol, used herein as a model compound, is fully converted to methane, CO₂, and a minor amount of H₂ by using a physical mixture of Pt and Ru (1:5 in mass basis) at 220 °C and 35 bar. This conversion is the result of hydrogenolysis of part of the sorbitol over Ru and the in situ production of H₂ through the aqueous-phase reforming of the remaining carbohydrate over Pt. A synergistic effect of the combination of these two catalysts results in the rapid and highly selective conversion of the carbohydrate to methane. This process offers the possibility of upgrading a low-value carbohydrate stream into a valuable fuel with no addition of H₂. Exergy analysis reveals that nearly 80 % of the exergy of the reactant is recovered as methane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]