General Lab Information

Technologies Available for License

Category: energy

2022-009: Direct Catalytic Conversion of Natural Gas to Liquid Fuel

Invention: 2022-009

Patent Status: PCT filed on October 9, 2023

For technical and licensing related questions, email tcp@bnl.gov.

Summary
TCP Technology
enlarge

CO2 hydrogenation catalytic performance of PdAcCeO2-M after either (a) an oxidative or (b) a reducing pretreatment.

The conversion of natural gas to liquid fuels is a central challenge to the catalysis industry at large that remains to be addressed. Specifically, improved methods for the conversion of methane (CH4), the principal component of natural gas, into a liquid fuel, such as methanol (CH3OH), are needed. BNL and Università di Udine researchers developed an improved method of converting methane to methanol (MtM) that would enable the direct conversion of methane to methanol, a top commodity chemical.

Description

The method of converting methane to methanol, includes heating a reaction mixture including methane, hydrogen peroxide, and a dry milled catalyst. The catalyst utilizes a milled ceria support that promotes higher catalytic activity for various methane containing reactions and shows excellent stability under rigorous reaction conditions. The milled ceria support material is generally loaded with some weight percent of another metal, such that MxCeO2 (M=Pd, Rh, Ru, Ni, Co; x=0.001-0.1).

Benefits

The ball milled catalyst used to generate methanol is highly stable and active under rigorous reaction conditions. All gas and liquid phase sampling after reaction is carried out at <10°C to maximize methanol production. Furthermore, at the optimal reaction conditions the formation of undesirable CO2 is considerably diminished.

Applications and Industries

This invention allows for the direct conversion of methane, which is often flared or discarded, and presents a novel avenue for the generation of methanol, a top 10 global commodity chemical.

Journal Publication & Intellectual Property

Contacts