Matrix reforming of hydrocarbons: New possibilities for low-tonnage gas processing and energy

The huge unconventional resources of natural gas in the earth's crust make it in the future not only the main source of raw materials for global energy, but also the cheapest and most abundant raw material for the production of many basic petrochemical products. However, technological complexity and high energy consumption for multistage processes of converting methane into thermodynamically less stable products remain the main problem constraining development of gas chemistry. A promising solution may be a matrix technology for the autothermal reforming of natural gas into syngas or hydrogen. This technology is based on internal recuperation of heat of conversion products, which is implemented in the surface combustion mode. The review presents the basic principles of matrix reforming, the results achieved so far and the most promising areas of its application.