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Selective GHG Methane Conversion to Ethanol by Solar Energy Published in Nature

24 March 2025

Selective methane oxidation to generate C2+ molecules is a sustainable pathway for chemical synthesis by a low carbon process, which also reduces greenhouse gas emission.

The figure shows that methane is converted to ethanol with a high yield of 122 micromol/h, together with a selectivity of nearly 80% by photocatalysis over a CTF-1 catalyst.

Researchers from the groups of Prof. Junwang Tang in the Department of Chemical Engineering at UCL (currently in the Department of Chemical Engineering in Tsinghua University ), together with Prof. Richard Catlow in University of Cardiff and UCL, Prof. Zheng Xiao Guo in Hongkong University, and Prof. Weixin Huang in University of Science and Technology of China present a catalytic process involving selective conversion of methane into ethanol by a intramolecular junction catalyst by use of solar energy in Nature.

Traditional industrial methane conversion is typically conducted via a two-step process via syngas under high temperatures and pressures, a process that is energy-intensive and exhibits poor product selectivity. Direct conversion of methane into ethanol often encounters challenges in activation of the inert C-H bond and selective carbon-carbon (C-C) coupling to produce C2+ chemicals against overoxidation to generate CO2.

In this article published in Nature, the researchers demonstrate a new concept of intramolecular junction in CTF-1, via which methane is partially oxidised into ethanol with the assistance of water driven by solar energy, resulting in high productivity and selectivity. In this catalytic process, water is firstly activated by photo-generated holes to produce OH radicals, which break the first C-H bond in methane. Then, C-C bond coupling occurs to generate ethane, which is an important intermediate in the whole process. Further selective oxidation of ethane generate the final liquid product, ethanol. The optimised catalyst Pt/CTF-1 shows an ethanol selectivity of 80% and yield of 167.6 μmol h-1, together with an apparent quantum yield of 9.4%.

This work shows a new method for the production of high-value commodities from natural gas via a green and low-cost pathway. In the meantime, the use of intramolecular junction catalysts could provide new solutions for catalyst design in photo- and photon-phonon co-driven catalysis.

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Image credit

Prof. Junwang Tang