Gas conversion into fuel.

Some researchers in Japan have succeeded in making a fuel cell that can transform methane (the main component of natural gas) into methanol (fuel that is more useful) in temperatures.

Although it has long been used as fuel in motor vehicles, but use more widely methanol hampered by the high cost of producing it from methane - although methane is relatively inexpensive widely available from natural gas and as a waste product from the dump and livestock area. Differences methanol to methane is very small, there is an excess of one oxygen atom in methanol, but to get these oxygen atoms without producing carbon dioxide is difficult and usually requires temperatures and high pressures.

Takashi Hibino research team at the University of Nagoya, Japan, have managed to find a new method to convert methane into methanol, which can take place at temperatures (80C) and air pressure. They use a new material, the tin phosphate with little didoping indium, as the conductor material (electrolyte) in a fuel cell hidogen / air.

Fuel cells are normally alter the hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water but oxygen radicals are also formed in the process.

The research team found that by adding methane into hydrogen fuel, they can use oxygen radicals are activated to oxidize methane into methanol at temperatures much lower than the temperatures used in conventional processes. This tool uses Meksipun hydrogen and methane, hydrogen energy from the reaction can be collected as electrical energy, as in normal fuel cell.

'Our fuel cell is simultaneously generate electricity and methanol,' said Hibino told Chemistry World. 'However, the reaction activity for methane is still slow, so that the methane did not react must be circulated several times in actual applications. "

Even so, Hibino optimistic about the potential to develop this process to industrial scale. 'What we target is a fuel cell is used as a reactor for methanol production in chemical factories conventional. "

Yongchun Tang, director of Power Environmental Energy Research Center at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA, had previously made several attempts to transform methane into methanol. 'I believe this discovery is very interesting for the energy utilization efficiency of natural gas,' he said to Chemistry World. "Methanol is a low-cost raw materials are very flexible which can be used for the production of gasoline and diesel or used directly as fuel. In addition, the advantages of this technology is to be used as an alternative method for handling a remote gas or associated gas in small quantities. This proposed technology that can stop the burning of natural gas that can not be processed again and reduce emissions from oil production.

Some researchers in Japan have succeeded in making a fuel cell that can transform methane (the main component of natural gas) into methanol (fuel that is more useful) in temperatures.

Although it has long been used as fuel in motor vehicles, but use more widely methanol hampered by the high cost of producing it from methane - although methane is relatively inexpensive widely available from natural gas and as a waste product from the dump and livestock area. Differences methanol to methane is very small, there is an excess of one oxygen atom in methanol, but to get these oxygen atoms without producing carbon dioxide is difficult and usually requires temperatures and high pressures.

Takashi Hibino research team at the University of Nagoya, Japan, have managed to find a new method to convert methane into methanol, which can take place at temperatures (80C) and air pressure. They use a new material, the tin phosphate with little didoping indium, as the conductor material (electrolyte) in a fuel cell hidogen / air.

Fuel cells are normally alter the hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water but oxygen radicals are also formed in the process.

The research team found that by adding methane into hydrogen fuel, they can use oxygen radicals are activated to oxidize methane into methanol at temperatures much lower than the temperatures used in conventional processes. This tool uses Meksipun hydrogen and methane, hydrogen energy from the reaction can be collected as electrical energy, as in normal fuel cell.

'Our fuel cell is simultaneously generate electricity and methanol,' said Hibino told Chemistry World. 'However, the reaction activity for methane is still slow, so that the methane did not react must be circulated several times in actual applications. "

Even so, Hibino optimistic about the potential to develop this process to industrial scale. 'What we target is a fuel cell is used as a reactor for methanol production in chemical factories conventional. "

Yongchun Tang, director of Power Environmental Energy Research Center at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA, had previously made several attempts to transform methane into methanol. 'I believe this discovery is very interesting for the energy utilization efficiency of natural gas,' he said to Chemistry World. "Methanol is a low-cost raw materials are very flexible which can be used for the production of gasoline and diesel or used directly as fuel. In addition, the advantages of this technology is to be used as an alternative method for handling a remote gas or associated gas in small quantities. This proposed technology that can stop the burning of natural gas that can not be processed again and reduce emissions from oil production.