Chemists in the United States have discovered a new way to turn natural gas into liquid fuel. <\/p>\n
The team from Northwestern University has successfully converted methane directly into methanol in a single step. They harnessed tiny bursts of plasma \u2014 or mini \u201clightning bolts\u201d \u2014 in glass tubes submerged in water. <\/p>\n
Using pulses of high-voltage electricity<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re using pulses of high-voltage electricity,\u201d said Northwestern\u2019s\u00a0Dayne Swearer, the study\u2019s corresponding author. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf the electrical potential is high enough, lightning bolts form inside of our reactor the way they do during a summer thunderstorm. We\u2019re taking advantage of that chemistry to break methane\u2019s bonds without heating the entire system to extreme temperatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the current method is reliable, it\u2019s energy intensive and emits millions of tons of carbon dioxide per year globally. Using just electricity, water and a copper-oxide catalyst, the new process could offer a cleaner, electrified path to producing one of the world\u2019s most widely used chemical building blocks, according to<\/a> a press release.<\/p>\n Methanol is a versatile, high-demand industrial chemical<\/p>\n The team also revealed that the methanol is a versatile, high-demand industrial<\/a> chemical used to make many products people use every day. It also is commonly used as an industrial solvent and is gaining attention as a cleaner-burning fuel for ships and industrial boilers.<\/p>\n One of the world\u2019s most used commodity chemicals, methanol is a key ingredient in plastics, paints and adhesives. More recently, researchers have explored methanol as a promising liquid fuel because its combustion produces lower sulfur emissions and particulate pollution than gasoline and diesel, as per the release<\/a>.<\/p>\n Industry generates methanol through a multi-step process<\/p>\n