Process for Preparing Syngas Using a Plasma Feed

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This invention describes a process for producing synthesis gas (syngas) – a mixture mainly of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) – by reacting organic compounds with a plasma-heated feed containing carbon dioxide (CO2), and optionally steam or oxygen. The process utilizes plasma (created using electrical energy) to achieve extremely high temperatures, allowing flexible integration of recycled or imported CO2 and minimizing the formation of unwanted CO2 as a byproduct. The innovation enables handling of impure or difficult feedstocks and offers better control over the composition of the resulting syngas.

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• Conversion of waste oils, plastics, biomass, or heavy residues into syngas for downstream chemical production.
• Integration into chemical plants for the sustainable production of monomers, polymers, and fuels.
• Use in waste-to-energy facilities to convert diverse waste streams into valuable syngas.
• Flexible industrial syngas generation, especially where renewable (green) electricity is available for plasma production.
• Recycling of process or external CO2 (carbon capture and utilization) to produce low-carbon syngas.
• Production of basic building blocks (H2 and CO) for the manufacture of synthetic fuels (like methanol, diesel), chemicals, or plastics.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Reduces net CO2 emissions by recycling and utilizing CO2 as a reactant, lowering the process carbon footprint.
• Enables the use of a wide range of feedstocks, including impure and difficult-to-handle materials (such as biomass, waste plastics, residues).
• Allows for flexible energy input—can run on surplus or green electricity, optimizing process sustainability.
• Yields syngas with adjustable H2:CO ratios, improving its suitability for various downstream uses.
• Minimizes the need for pure oxygen and pre-treatment steps, simplifying the process and reducing costs.
• Potential to improve overall process efficiency and provide a more stable, steady-state operation.

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Patent Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for preparing syngas, the process comprising (i) preparing a first feed stream comprising one or more organic compounds; (ii) preparing a second feed stream comprising CO2 and optionally comprising O2; (iii) optionally preparing a third feed stream comprising steam; (iv) heating the second feed stream, or optionally combining and heating the first and second feed streams, or optionally combining and heating the second and third feed streams, or optionally combining and heating the first, second, and third feed streams, wherein the feed stream or the optionally combined feed streams are heated to a temperature in the range of from 1,000 to 20,000 °C; (v) combining the heated second feed stream obtained in (iv) with the first feed stream and optionally with the third feed stream, obtaining a reaction stream, or combining the heated and optionally combined first and second feed streams obtained in (iv) with the third feed stream, obtaining a reaction stream, or combining the heated and optionally combined second and third feed streams obtained in (iv) with the first feed stream, obtaining a reaction stream; (vi) feeding the heated and optionally combined first and second feed streams obtained in (iv), the heated and optionally combined first, second, and third feed streams obtained in (iv), or the reaction stream obtained in (v) in a reaction zone, obtaining a product stream comprising CO and H2, and optionally comprising CO2, H2O, or CO2 and H2O, wherein the one or more organic compounds independently from one another comprise C, H, and optionally one or more of O, S, and N.