Methane conversion via photocatalytic reactions

Research on the conversion of natural gas (methane) has been an ongoing effort at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) for over 20 years. A long-term goal of our research team is to explore novel pathways for the direct conversion of methane to liquid fuels, chemicals, and intermediates. One of our current areas of research is the conversion of methane to methanol, under mild conditions, using light, water, and a semiconductor photocatalyst. The use of three relatively abundant and inexpensive reactants—light, water, and methane—to produce methanol is an attractive process option. The main advantage of using a photocatalyst to promote the photoconversion of methane to methanol is that the presence of the catalyst, in conjunction with an electron-transfer agent, allows reaction to occur with visible light instead of with ultraviolet. This greatly simplifies reactor design and will permit flexibility in the selection of the light source. The products of the reaction of interest, methanol and hydrogen, are both commercially desirable as fuels or chemical intermediates. Reactions were conducted at 1.0 and 10.1 MPa along with methane contained within gas hydrates.