Boost for Methanol? New solid catalyst for the direct low-temperature oxidation of methane to methanol
August 21, 2009(PhysOrg.com) -- As a possible energy source for fuel cells or a substitute for gasoline, methanol is increasingly drawing attention beyond its importance as a feedstock for chemical industry. It can be stored much more efficiently and cheaply than hydrogen and could be distributed by way of the existing network of fuelling stations. The disadvantage is the truly complex synthesis of methanol from natural gas via a detour through synthesis gas. One interesting alternative that was pursued and then abandoned is known as the direct low-temperature oxidation of methane to methanol.
A team led by Ferdi Schüth at the Max Plank Institute of Coal Research in Mülheim (Germany) and Markus Antonietti at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam-Golm (Germany) has now developed a novel catalyst. As the researchers report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, this could provide a second wind, if not a major breakthrough, for this process.
“The development of catalyst systems for the direct low-temperature oxidation of methane to methanol has been one of the major challenges in catalysis over the last decades,” says Schüth. The problem is that the bonds in methane are very strong and difficult to break. In addition, under the reaction conditions required, methanol has the tendency to react further to form carbon dioxide. The process thus requires not only highly active but also highly selective catalysts.
One breakthrough was the development of a platinum complex by a research group led by Roy Periana. This complex catalyzes the low-temperature oxidation of methane in concentrated sulfuric acid at temperatures around 200 °C to form methyl sulfate—which can be converted into methanol—in good yield and high selectivity. Despite highly promising results, the complex separation and difficult recycling of this dissolved catalyst, among other things, hampered the commercial application of this process. Development proceeded to the pilot-plant stage before being abandoned. “A solid catalyst that can be easily separated could make such a process viable on a small scale, making possible the efficient, decentralized consumption of natural gas,” says Schüth.
The German researchers have now been able to develop such a solid catalyst, whose high reactivity and selectivity, and its outstanding stability through numerous recycling steps, have raised hopes of its industrial implementation. “Our development is based on a recently discovered class of high-performance polymers,” explains Anonietti. Polymerization of a ring-shaped molecule, an aromatic nitrile, results in a network known to chemists as a “covalent triazine-based framework”, abbreviated as CTF. Loading this substance with platinum results in a highly active, easily separated, and recyclable catalyst.
More information: Ferdi Schüth, Solid Catalysts for the Selective Low-Temperature Oxidation of Methane to Methanol; Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2009, 48, No. 37, 6909-6912, doi: 10.1002/anie.200902009
-
Hydrogen fuel cells become faster and greener with new catalyst
May 08, 2006 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Biomass as a source of raw materials
May 12, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Power from Formic Acid
May 07, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Renewable Raw Materials
May 29, 2006 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Nano World: Methanol fuel cell thru nano
Feb 21, 2006 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (33) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
-
How to determine zinc in a plant.
Feb 11, 2012
-
Stoichiometry
Feb 10, 2012
-
Boiling and melting point of impure substances
Feb 10, 2012
-
Safe nitrogen compound to decompose a 500 deg C in a furnace?
Feb 09, 2012
-
[ask]electron inside drinking water
Feb 08, 2012
-
How to avoid formation of Lithium Chromate ???
Feb 08, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - Chemistry
More news stories
Scientists discover molecular secrets of 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal remedy
For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, ...
5 hours ago |
4.6 / 5 (14) |
5
|
New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside
There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
5 hours ago |
5 / 5 (5) |
0
|
Hydrogen from acidic water: Researchers develop potential low cost alternative to platinum for splitting water
A technique for creating a new molecule that structurally and chemically replicates the active part of the widely used industrial catalyst molybdenite has been developed by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley ...
Feb 09, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (16) |
21
|
Fool's gold may prove an unlikely alternative to overexploited catalytic materials
Catalytic materials, which lower the energy barriers for chemical reactions, are used in everything from the commercial production of chemicals to catalytic converters in car engines. However, with current catalytic materials ...
Feb 10, 2012 |
4.4 / 5 (8) |
8
|
Research provides octagonal window of opportunity for carbon capture
(PhysOrg.com) -- Filtering carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from factory smokestacks is a necessary, but expensive part of many manufacturing processes. However, a collaborative research team from the National ...
Feb 08, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
5
|
Declining health-care productivity in England: Who says so?
Reports that the National Health Service in England has been declining in productivity in the last decade appear to have been accepted as fact. However, a Viewpoint published Online First by The Lancet disputes this. The Vi ...
Overeating may double risk of memory loss
New research suggests that consuming between 2,100 and 6,000 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older. The study was released today and will be ...
A mitosis mystery solved: How chromosomes align perfectly in a dividing cell
Although the process of mitotic cell division has been studied intensely for more than 50 years, Whitehead Institute researchers have only now solved the mystery of how cells correctly align their chromosomes during symmetric ...
Lab study raises questions over nano-particle impact
Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.
Starve a virus, feed a cure? Findings show how some cells protect themselves against HIV
A protein that protects some of our immune cells from the most common and virulent form of HIV works by starving the virus of the molecular building blocks that it needs to replicate, according to research published online ...
Researchers find extensive RNA editing in human transcriptome
In a new study published online in Nature Biotechnology, researchers from BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, reported the evidence of extensive RNA editing in a human cell line by analysis of RNA-seq data, demons ...
Aug 21, 2009
Rank: not rated yet
Aug 21, 2009
Rank: not rated yet
Watch out Planet !
Aug 22, 2009
Rank: not rated yet
Of all HC to make Methanol is one of the worst choices.
They should instead work on one that makes the higher gasolines or diesels that have 240-300% higher densities and not so corrosive or poisonous.