[1][2] Synthesis gas is conventionally produced via the steam reforming reaction or coal gasification.
[3] The dry reforming reaction may be represented by: Thus, two greenhouse gases are consumed and useful chemical building blocks, hydrogen and carbon monoxide, are produced.
A challenge to the commercialization of this process is that the hydrogen that is produced tends to react with carbon dioxide.
For example, the following reaction typically proceeds with lower activation energy than the dry reforming reaction itself: Another issue with dry reforming is situated in the fact that it operates at conditions that produces water.
As a result, this water can lead to unwanted back-reaction to CO2 via the water-gas shift reaction.