CATALYSTS AND PROCESSES FOR A RENEWABLE ENERGY FUTURE

Introduction The constant increase of CO2 levels in the atmosphere as the result of anthropic activities, extensive burning of fossil fuels and deforestation is directly linked to key environment related issues such as global warming effects, climate changes and sea level rise. Therefore, catalytic CO2 conversion into chemicals and fuels represents a "two birds, one stone" approach to give an answer to the most urgent priorities of our modern society: the mitigation of climate changes and the growing energy demand supply. Moreover, the carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology perfectly meets with the challenging concept of circular economy to whom any modern society try to fit with. Material and Methods The contribution will focus on the CO2 valorization through the rational bottom up synthesis of conceptually new catalytic materials for the chemoselective CO2 electrochemical reduction to CO and CO2 methanation. It will describe the application of carbonaceous materials as such or in the form of nanoparticle decorated composites featuring with new basic functionalities playing a key role in the intensification of energy demanding catalytic transformations. The choice of the most appropriate reactor set up and heating technology will be also discussed in terms of process energetics, catalyst efficiency and catalyst stability on stream. In particular, the use of a contactless heating technology (induction heating IH) vs. the more classical Joule heating methods will also be matter of discussion in the frame of dynamically forced methanation conditions as to face with the discontinuous nature of renewable reagents supply. Results and Discussion Catalysis is nowadays at the forefront of main societal needs and it represents the key issue to meet with its current environmental and energy concerns. Recent findings from our group have demonstrated how the rational bottom up synthesis and surface engineering of 1D 3D nanocarbons can give an answer to the production of catalytic materials with improved performance in relevant transformations. Indeed, the tailored N functionalization of C nanomaterials has set the way to the development of highly basic nanocarriers as single phase (electro)catalysts for the activation and conversion of small molecules. Moreover, Ni NPs decorated composites prepared from highly N doped and basic C samples can serve as highly robust and efficient catalysts in the "ever green" Sabatier process, offering higher performance compared to related benchmark systems from the state of the art.