An international team of researchers has developed a fast and economical method of converting methane, commonly called natural gas, into liquid methanol at ambient temperature and pressure. The approach uses visible light to drive the conversion in a continuous flow across a photocatalytic material.
An international team of researchers, led by scientists at the University of Manchester, has developed a fast and economical method of converting methane, or natural gas, into liquid methanol at ambient temperature and pressure. The method takes place under continuous flow over a photo-catalytic material using visible light to drive the conversion. Credit: ORNL/Jill Hemman
Excess methane is commonly burned off, or flared, to reduce its environmental impact. However, this combustion process still produces carbon dioxide, which itself is a greenhouse gas. The fast and economical methane-to-methanol process developed by the research team uses a multicomponent MOF material and visible light to drive the conversion. A flow of CHsaturated water is passed through a layer of the MOF granules while exposed to the light. The MOF contains different designed components that are located and held in fixed positions within the porous superstructure.
The new photocatalytic process is analogous to how plants convert light energy to chemical energy during. Plants absorb sunlight and carbon dioxide through their leaves. A photocatalytic process then converts these elements into sugars, oxygen, and water vapor.
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