Methane was attempted to be synthesised from carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The experiments were carried out at elevated temperature and pressure in a batch reactor. The reactions were conducted in the presence of a Raney nickel catalyst, dispersed in the aqueous phase. In addition to the reactions where hydrogen was initially added to the mixture, experiments relying on the water-gas shift reaction as a source of hydrogen were also performed.
The gaseous products were analysed using gas chromatography. In determining the composition of the sample, not only the percentage and quantity of methane was observed, the presence of other gases was also monitored. The highest achieved yield was 64,1% while the content of carbon oxides was still relatively high; products synthesised with this setup would therefore not be suitable for commercial use.
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