A group of researchers have successfully converted methane to methanol using light dispersed transition metals such as copper in a process known as photo-oxidation. According to an article reporting the study published in chemical communicationsthe reaction was the best so far obtained for converting methane gas to liquid fuels under ambient conditions of temperature and pressure (25 °C and 1 bar, respectively).
The term bar as a unit of pressure comes from the Greek word for weight (baros). One bar equals 100,000 Pascals (100 kPa), which is very close to standard atmospheric pressure at sea level (101,325 Pa).
The results of this study are an important step towards making natural gas available as an energy source for producing alternative fuels to gasoline and diesel.nevertheless Natural gas Considered a fossil fuel, conversion to methanol produces less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.2) outperforms other liquid fuels in the same category.
In Brazil, methanol plays an important role. biodiesel production and chemical industryusing it to synthesize many products.
moreover, methane Gas is 25 times more likely than CO, so capture from the atmosphere is critical to mitigating the negative impacts of climate change2for example, contribute to global warming.
“There is a great deal of debate in the scientific community about the size of Earth’s methane reserves. According to some estimates, they may have twice the energy potential of all other fossil fuels combined. In the transition to renewable energy, we will have to tap into all this methane at some point,” says Marcos da Silva, first author of the article Agência FAPESP Silva has a Ph.D. He is a candidate for the Physics Department of the Federal University of Carlos (UFSCar).
According to Ivo Freitas Teixeira, UFSCar professor, Silva’s dissertation advisor, and the last author of the article, the photocatalyst used in this study was a key innovation. “Our group has made significant innovations by oxidizing methane in one step,” he said. “In the chemical industry, this conversion is done through the production of hydrogen and CO.2 In at least two stages and under conditions of very high temperature and pressure. The success of obtaining methanol under mild conditions while consuming less energy is a major step forward. “
According to Teixeira, the results pave the way for future research into the use of solar energy in this conversion process, which could further reduce the environmental impact.
photocatalyst
In the lab, scientists used non-noble metals or earth-abundant chemicals to synthesize crystalline carbon nitrides in the form of polyheptazine imides (PHIs). transition metalespecially copper, produces active visible light photocatalysts.
They next used the photocatalyst in a hydrogen peroxide-initiated methane oxidation reaction. The copper-PHI catalyst produced large amounts of oxygenated liquid products, especially methanol (2,900 micromoles per gram of material, or µmol.g-1 in 4 hours).
“We found the optimal catalyst and other conditions essential for the chemical reaction, such as using a large amount of water and a small amount of the oxidizing agent, hydrogen peroxide,” says Teixeira. “Next steps include understanding the active copper sites in the material and their role in the reaction. We also plan to use oxygen directly to generate hydrogen peroxide in the reaction itself. If successful, the process should be even safer and more economical.It’s doable.”
Another point the group continues to explore relates to copper. “We are dealing with dispersed copper. When I wrote the article, I wasn’t sure if I was dealing with isolated atoms or clusters. Now I know they are clusters.” he explained.
In this study, the scientists used pure methane, but in the future they will extract the gas from renewable energy sources such as: biomassAccording to the United Nations, methane has caused about 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times. Methane emissions from human activity could be reduced by up to 45% over the next decade, avoiding a rise of around 0.3°C by 2045.
the methane liquid fuel with photocatalyst is new and not commercially available, but has great potential in the near future. “We started our research over four years ago. We now have results that are much better than those of Prof. Hutchings and his group in 2017, which motivated our own research.” ,” said Teixeira, referring to the study. It was published in the journal chemistry It is by researchers at universities in the US and UK, led by Professor Graham Hutchings of Cardiff University in Wales.
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For more information:
Marcos AR da Silva et al, Selective methane photooxidation to methanol under mild conditions facilitated by highly dispersed Cu atoms on crystalline carbonitrides, chemical communications (2022). DOI: 10.1039/D2CC01757A
Quote: Scientists Reveal Method to Convert Methane Gas to Liquid Methanol (2 Aug 2022) from https://phys.org/news/2022-08-scientists-reveal-method-methane-gas.html Retrieved on August 2, 2022
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