The right chemical formula can give mundane materials the most unlikely transformation. If you have questions, recent transformations, such as the use Always chemicals to produce lithium. either Recycling plastic with used car fuel.It will make you a believer. However, the most recent makeover might be the most striking yet, considering it’s literally lightning in a bottle.
In a study published today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, chemists report a novel technique for converting methane into methanol and other valuable compounds. Basically, the method subjects bubbling methane gas to high-voltage electricity, generating plasma that resembles lightning under certain conditions. As a result, the team successively oxidized methane to methanol with about 97% selectivity.
“We also simultaneously manufacture other valuable gaseous products, such as hydrogen and ethylene, which are unique to our plasma-based method,” study co-author. Dayne Juroa Northwestern University chemist told Gizmodo. “A lot of work will still be needed for this chemistry to compete with highly optimized chemical facilities, but it demonstrates that methanol can be produced in a single step.”
The ‘holy grail’ of catalysis
Methane is a relatively common natural gas that is typically used as a fuel. At the same time, it is a primary source of human-influenced greenhouse gases, contributing to about 11 percent of global emissions, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Methanol, an oxidized liquid derivative of methane, has a even wider range of uses, from industrial solvents and pharmaceutical production to antifreeze and, of course, fuel. Consequently, some have even called the conversion of methane to methanol the “holy grail”of catalysis, a branch of chemistry that studies how catalysts enhance critical reactions.
ripping gas
According to Swearer, the world produces almost 110 million metric tons of methanol each year. The current method for converting methane to methanol essentially deconstructs the methane twice and reconstructs it as methanol. Specifically, the methane is first treated with steam and consequently the resulting amalgam of carbon monoxide and hydrogen is subjected to high pressures and temperatures.
“While this two-step industrial process is highly optimized, it is not the easiest route,” Swearer said.
In fact, the process itself “consumes an enormous amount of heat and inherently generates carbon dioxide along the way,” Northwestern said. explained in a press release about the study.
Why so complicated?
The new study aimed to simplify the process to make this conversion more intuitive and consume less energy. To achieve this, the researchers developed a plasma bubble reactor coated with a copper oxide catalyst. Once the methane entered the reactor tube, electrical pulses caused the gas to decompose into highly reactive compounds that quickly recombined into methanol. As soon as this occurred, the reactor inserted the methanol into the surrounding water to prevent the valuable product from decomposing.
“Our key breakthrough was recognizing that short-lived reactive species in plasma needed to be harnessed as quickly as possible,” Swearer told Gizmodo. “By placing a catalyst along the plasma path, we could control the outcome to form more desirable products.”
Plasma here and there
For Swearer, a particularly interesting aspect of the new findings is the extensive use of plasma. The so-called “fourth state of matter“It makes up more than 99% of the visible universe, but is relatively rare on Earth. That said, plasma science has already played an important role in the development of most electronics and continues to do so. Still, the new study indicates that there is still more untapped potential for plasma in unexpected areas.
“This is a great example of how fundamental research can help optimize molecular interactions and, perhaps one day, create substantially smaller, clearer, and more energy-efficient chemical technologies,” Swearer said. “There are truly amazing possibilities in this area of research, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”
