Chinese chemists take ‘Holy Grail’ leap to make low-carbon methanol

Name: China starts drilling second 10,000-metre hole in search of oil and natural gas
Uploaded: 2023-10-01T08:00:13.000Z
Duration: 2 min 10 s
Description: China starts drilling second 10,000-metre hole in search of oil and natural gas

Scientists use catalyst to convert methane to methanol at room temperature with ‘remarkable’ conversion rate, fewer by-products

Process could boost the quest for green energy from natural gas, help decarbonise fuel, plastic and medicine production, experts say

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Efficiently converting methane into higher-value chemicals such as methanol for sustainable energy has been a lengthy quest in the field of chemistry. Photo: Shutterstock

Zhang Tongin Beijing

Published: 4:00pm, 1 Oct 2023

Researchers in China have found a new way to make methanol at room temperature with fewer by-products, a discovery that could revolutionise the way a key source of green energy is produced, according to a published study.

The scientists, from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed a novel catalyst that enables the direct conversion of methane to methanol at room temperature with fewer by-products than previous methods, opening a promising path toward energy efficient and environmentally sustainable methanol production.

Methanol – also known as wood alcohol – is widely used in the production of fuels, plastics, and medicines. But converting methane – a stable molecule – into higher-value chemicals such as methanol has long been regarded as the “Holy Grail” in the field of chemistry, according to a report on the academy’s website.

Traditional methods for breaking the carbon-hydrogen bonds of methane molecules have required extreme conditions, including temperatures over 600 degrees Celsius (1,112 Fahrenheit), and strong oxidising agents such as fuming sulphuric acid, or external fields like plasma. Those conditions have often led to over-conversion of the target product, generating undesirable by-products such as carbon dioxide.

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China starts drilling second 10,000-metre hole in search of oil and natural gas

But the new, Chinese-developed method is a “dream reaction” for the scientific community, according to the academy’s report. “It leverages low-cost, eco-friendly oxygen to facilitate the direct conversion of methane at room temperature,” it said.

Led by Professor Deng Dehui and Yu Liang at the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis at the Dalian institute, the team set out to find catalytic reactions that convert methane, carbon monoxide, methanol and carbon dioxide into higher-value chemicals at relatively mild temperatures.

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