Syngas

What is it?
A carbon monoxide/hydrogen gas mixture.

Used to Produce

 * Methanol
 * Hydrogen Gas

Synthesis gas preparation
First, the methane is cleaned, mainly to remove sulfur oxide and hydrogen sulfide impurities that would poison the catalysts.

The clean methane is then reacted with steam over a catalyst of nickel oxide. This is called steam reforming:
 * CH4 + H2 O → CO + 3 H2

Secondary reforming then takes place with the addition of air to convert the methane that did not react during steam reforming.
 * 2 CH4 + O2 → 2 CO + 4 H2
 * CH4 + 2 O2 → CO2 + 2 H2 O

Then the water gas shift reaction yields more hydrogen from CO and steam.
 * CO + H2 O → CO2 + H<sub style="line-height: 1em; ">2

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