"The topic is still very much alive," says Wetzel. The pyrolysis of natural gas has now been comprehensively investigated and proven, and important steps on the way to an industrial process, such as the scale-up and pyrolysis of high-calorific natural gas, have been taken together with industrial partners. In addition, research into the liquid metal-assisted pyrolysis and dry reforming of biogas as a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide is currently being driven forward in a project funded by the Vector Foundation. This involves an aspect that goes beyond the avoidance of emissions through CO2-free hydrogen: the use or decomposition of CO2 from the atmosphere or from industrial processes with the aim of obtaining solid carbon instead of gaseous CO2. "This possibility, with methane pyrolysis as a key element, was demonstrated in the NECOC project, for which project leader Dr. Benjamin Dietrich and the team at KALLA and TVT 2023 received the prestigious research award from the Gips-Schüle Foundation," reports Wetzel.
