UK: Catalysis

Scientists Produce Methanol from Air

09/10/2017 | Editor: Alexander Stark

Scientists at Cardiff University in the

UK have created methanol from
methane using oxygen from the air.

Cardiff/UK Methanol is currently

produced by breaking down natural gas
at high temperatures into hydrogen gas
and carbon monoxide before
reassembling them expensive and
energy-intensive processes known as
steam reforming and methanol
synthesis.

Researchers at Cardiff Catalysis Institute But researchers at Cardiff Catalysis

have discovered they can produce
Institute have discovered they can
methanol from methane through simple
produce methanol from methane through
catalysis.(Source: Cardiff University)
simple catalysis that allows methanol
production at low temperatures using
oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.

The findings, published in Science, have major implications for cleaner, greener
industrial processes worldwide.
 Professor Graham Hutchings, Director of Cardiff Catalysis Institute, said: The quest to
find a more efficient way of producing methanol is a hundred years old. Our process
uses oxygen effectively a free product in the air around us and combines it with
hydrogen peroxide at mild temperatures which require less energy.

We have already shown that gold nanoparticles supported by titanium oxide could
convert methane to methanol, but we simplified the chemistry further and took away
the titanium oxide powder. The results have been outstanding, the scientists claim.

Commercialisation will take time, but our science has major implications for the
preservation of natural gas reserves as fossil fuel stocks dwindle across the world.

At present global natural gas production is ca. 2.4 billion tons per annum and 4 % of
this is flared into the atmosphere roughly 100 million tons. Cardiff Catalysis
Institutes approach to using natural gas could use this "waste" gas saving CO2

emissions. In the US there is now a switch to shale gas ,and our approach is well
suited to using this gas as it can enable it to be liquefied so it can be readily
transported.

Dr. James J. Spivey, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Louisiana State University

and Editor-in-Chief of Catalysis Today, said: "This research is of significant value to the
scientific and industrial communities. The conversion of our shale resources into higher
value intermediates like methanol provide new routes for chemical intermediates.

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Researchers at Cardiff Catalysis Institute have discovered they can produce methanol from methane
through simple catalysis. (Cardiff Uuniversity)
Professor Graham Hutchings (University of Cardiff)