Direct Electron Beam Synthesis (DEBS) Process—Enables Utilization of CO2 to Generate Valuable Products

In a project on high-energy systems for transforming carbon dioxide (CO2) to valuable products, GTI Energy is leading a team with IBA Industrial Inc. and the State University of New York (SUNY) to develop a direct electron beam (E-beam) synthesis (DEBS) process to produce chemicals using CO2 captured from a coal-fired or natural gas-fired power plants and methane (natural gas).

The DEBS low-cost, energy-efficient process uses a high-energy E-beam to break chemical bonds, allowing production of chemicals, such as acetic acid, methanol, and carbon monoxide, at near-ambient pressure and temperatures that offer lower capital and operating costs.

This project will expand on the concept of DEBS to develop a commercially viable process that will minimize E-beam energy requirements and selectively control the yield of more valuable products while maximizing CO conversion. This will mitigate CO2 emissions and offset the cost of carbon capture and storage.

The laboratory-scale reactor design and construction have been completed and the experimental plan established. A preliminary kinetic model is also being developed and will be updated with experimental data from the laboratory testing. After this testing is completed, an engineering design for an integrated coal-fired power plant combining the DEBS process will be prepared.