The majority of energy chemical processes require heat supply to sustain reactions. Conventional heat supply relies mainly on fossil fuel combustion, plagued by high energy consumption and intensive carbon emissions. Electromagnetic induction heating, featuring non-contact heating, ultra-fast temperature ramp rates, and high energy efficiency, has emerged as a promising technical pathway for the low-carbon transformation of energy chemical engineering.
In a review published in ENG. Chem. Eng. , researchers at Beijing University of Chemical Technology systematically examine the research progress of EIH in energy chemical processes, emphasizing susceptor design and reaction coupling. Three susceptor categories are discussed according to heating mechanisms and application scenarios.
Carbon-based susceptors generate heat primarily through eddy current Joule heating. Walnut shell-based biochar requires a pretreatment temperature threshold of approximately 800 °C to achieve effective induction heating, with electrical conductivity increasing from 2.4 × 10⁻⁷ S·m⁻¹ at 600 °C to 5.1 × 10² S·m⁻¹ at 1400 °C. These susceptors serve as both heating elements and reactants, enabling processes such as solid-phase calcium carbide synthesis at 1726 °C with 99.6 % yield, reverse Boudouard reaction achieving over 90 % CO₂ conversion at 1200 °C with CO space-time yield of 1818 L·Lreactor⁻¹·h⁻¹, and methane dehydrocoupling producing 90.2 % C₂ hydrocarbon carbon yield at 1860 °C.
Macroscopic metal susceptors exhibit much higher electrical conductivity of 10⁶-10⁷ S·m⁻¹ than carbon-based materials, generating stronger eddy currents and faster heating rates. Iron-based susceptors benefit from dual eddy current and hysteresis heating below the Curie point. In ammonia decomposition, iron-based induction heating reduced the apparent activation energy from 96.3 kJ·mol⁻¹ for resistance furnace heating to 43.3 kJ·mol⁻¹ while achieving 97.0 % conversion at an ultra-high gas hourly space velocity of 8.18 × 10⁵ h⁻¹. Two-stage induction heating systems using iron rods and stainless steel mesh achieved tar yields below 2.2 wt % and syngas yields of 69.6 wt % from biomass pyrolysis. Refractory metals such as tungsten enable ultra-high temperatures above 2000 °C for methane dehydrocoupling and CO₂-assisted biomass gasification.
Magnetic nanoparticles in the size range of 5 to 50 nm generate heat through Neel and Brownell relaxation, producing localized heating precisely at catalytic sites. For reverse water-gas shift, Fe@C-Cu/Al₂O₃ catalysts achieved 74.2 % CO₂ conversion under mild external temperatures. For dry reforming of methane, FeCo@C core-shell structures maintained stable operation with less than 5 % conversion decrease over 6 hours.
EIH technology offers rapid start-stop response on the second level, precise temperature control, and excellent adaptability to intermittent renewable electricity. Future research directions include long-life susceptor optimization, multiphysics coupling simulation, and standardized techno-economic evaluation for industrial scale-up.
ENGINEERING Chemical Engineering
Experimental study
Not applicable
Electromagnetic induction heating for endothermic reactions in energy chemical engineering: a review on susceptor design and reaction coupling
3-Aug-2026