With depleting fossil fuels shaping the economic concerns of most nations, a research paper by Bharata Ratna C.N.R. Rao takes a large step towards producing synthetic gas.
The paper, published in the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (PCCP), carries forward previous research wherein synthetic gas (a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) can be produced in large industries to generate gas.
However, production of the synthetic gas so far involved temperatures of 1,400 degree Celsius and resulted in the production of expensive, low-quality gas, said Mr. Rao. “We have achieved a breakthrough, where a temperature of 900 degree Celsius is enough to generate synthetic gas. Even the content of hydrogen and carbon monoxide generated is improved by more than 200 per cent,” he said.
The team – headed by Mr. Rao and comprising scientists S. Dey, B. S. Naidu and A. Govindaraj at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) – employed the compound lanthanum calcium manganate to achieve the reduction in temperature.
The research, said Mr. Rao, still has a long road ahead and further reduction in temperatures is possible. By lowering the temperature below 800 degree Celsius, the heat needed for the creation of synthetic gas can be generated through solar energy, he said.
A release from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) highlights the research as being crucial for the country, where “millions of people have no access to reliable energy.”
