Flare gas monetization and greener hydrogen production via combination with cryptocurrency mining and carbon dioxide capture.

In view of the continuous debates on the environmental impact of blockchain technologies, in particular, cryptocurrency mining, accompanied by severe carbon dioxide emissions, a technical solution has been considered assuming direct monetization of associated petroleum gas currently being flared. The proposed approach is based on the technology of low-temperature steam reforming of hydrocarbons, which allows flare gas conditioning toward the requirements for fuel for gas piston and gas turbine power plants. The generation of electricity directly at the oil field and its use for on-site cryptocurrency mining transform the process of wasteful flaring of valuable hydrocarbons into an economically attractive integrated processing of natural resources. The process is not carbon neutral and is not intended to compete with zero-emission technologies, but its combination with technologies for carbon dioxide capture and re-injection into the oil reservoir can both enhance the oil recovery and reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The produced gas can be used for local transport needs, while the generated heat and electricity can be utilized for on-site food production and biological carbon dioxide capture in vertical greenhouse farms. The suggested approach allows a significant decrease in the carbon dioxide emissions at oil fields and, although it may seem paradoxically, on-site cryptocurrency mining actually may lead to a decrease in the carbon footprint. The amount of captured CO2 could be transformed into CO2 emission quotas, which can be spent for the production of virtually "blue" hydrogen by steam reforming of natural gas in locations where the CO2 capture is technically impossible and/or unprofitable.

Formation of Catalytically Active Nanoparticles under Thermolysis of Silver Chloroplatinate(II) and Chloroplatinate(IV).

The thermal behaviour of Ag2[PtCl4] and Ag2[PtCl6] complex salts in inert and reducing atmospheres has been studied. The thermolysis of compounds in a helium atmosphere is shown to occur in two stages. At the first stage, the complexes decompose in the temperature range of 350-500 °C with the formation of platinum and silver chloride and the release of chlorine gas. At the second stage, silver chloride is sublimated in the temperature range of 700-900 °C, while metallic platinum remains in the solid phase. In contrast to the thermolysis of Ag2[PtCl6], the thermal decomposition of Ag2[PtCl4] at 350 °C is accompanied by significant heat release, which is associated with disproportionation of the initial salt to Ag2[PtCl6], silver chloride, and platinum metal. It is confirmed by DSC measurements, DFT calculations of a suggested reaction, and XRD. The thermolysis of Ag2[PtCl4] and Ag2[PtCl6] compounds is shown to occur in a hydrogen atmosphere in two poorly separable steps. The compounds are decomposed within 170-350 °C, and silver and platinum are reduced to a metallic state, while a metastable single-phase solid solution of Ag0.67Pt0.33 is formed. The catalytic activity of the resulting nanoalloy Ag0.67Pt0.33 is studied in the reaction of CO total (TOX) and preferential (PROX) oxidation. Ag0.67Pt0.33 enhanced Pt nano-powder activity in CO TOX, but was not selective in CO PROX.

Tetraammineplatinum(II) and Tetraamminepalladium(II) Chromates as Precursors of Metal Oxide Catalysts.

[M(NH3 )4 ]A (M=Pt, Pd; A=CrO4 , Cr2 O7 ) and [Pt(NH3 )4 (NO2 )(Cr2 O7 )]NO3 complex salts were synthesized and characterized by a number of physicochemical methods of analysis (IR, single-crystal and powder XRD, and simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry with evolved gas analysis mass spectrometry). Thermolysis of the salts obtained in a hydrogen atmosphere proceeds with the partial reduction of chromium to a metallic state and the formation of Mx Cr1-x (M=Pt, Pd) metal solid solution with a chromium content of up to 22 at % and chromium(III) oxide. The thermal decomposition of salts in an inert and oxidizing atmosphere passes through the formation stage of the MCrO2 phase with the delafossite structure followed by its subsequent decomposition into chromium(III) oxide and noble metal. Nanosized Pt-Cr2 O3 and Pd-Cr2 O3 composites obtained by the thermolysis of precursor salts in air at 500 °C and being held at this temperature for 1 h showed a high catalytic activity in the CO total oxidation (TOX) and preferential oxidation in the excess of hydrogen (PROX) processes compared with that of monometallic Pt and Pd powders.