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UrduAdding water to the catalytic reaction that converts methane into useful methanol makes the process more effective, but it creates challenges for industry due to steam from the water. Now scientists have identified a common industrial catalyst, copper-zinc oxide, that completes the conversion along different pathways depending on whether water is present or not. This could potentially keep methane, a potent greenhouse gas, out of Earth’s atmosphere and instead turn it into useful products.
Tag: Methane
Converting Methane to Methanol — With and Without Water
UPTON, NY — Chemists have been searching for efficient catalysts to convert methane — a major component of abundant natural gas — into methanol, an easily transported liquid fuel and building block for making other valuable chemicals. Adding water to the reaction can address certain challenges, but it also complicates the process.
‘No excuse now’: Biden methane regulation comes tech ready
The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it would limit methane emissions from oil and gas rigs — part of a global effort to cut methane levels at least 30% by 2030. John Albertson is a professor of civil and environmental engineering…
Global Methane Pledge a ‘major change in policy’
The United States and European Union are poised to seek the support of other critical greenhouse gas emitting nations for a new Global Methane Pledge designed to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030. Cornell University has…
Making Methane from CO2: Carbon Capture Grows More Affordable
PNNL researchers can make methane from captured CO2 and renewably sourced hydrogen, offering a path toward cheaper synthetic natural gas.
IPCC points to methane as key driver of warming
In a new climate change report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, scientists paint a dire picture of the future of atmospheric warming. The United Nations report predicts global temperatures will rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above…
Story tips: Powered by nature, get on the bus, accelerating methane, helping JET soar, charged up planning and building a better thermostat
ORNL story tips: Powered by nature, get on the bus, accelerating methane, helping JET soar, charged up planning and building a better thermostat
Mapping methane sources in Paris
Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have conducted mobile measurements of methane and its sources throughout Paris. Their findings suggest that the natural gas distribution network, the sewage system and furnaces of buildings are ideal targets for methane reduction efforts.
Solar energy from the deep repository
During the winter months, renewable energy is in short supply throughout Europe. An international project is now considering an unconventional solution: Renewable hydrogen and carbon dioxide are pumped into the ground together, where naturally occurring microorganisms convert the two substances into methane, the main component of natural gas.
Saving the climate with solar fuel
Produced in a sustainable way, synthetic fuels contribute to switching mobility to renewable energy and to achieving the climate goals in road traffic. In the mobility demonstrator “move” Empa researchers are investigating the production of synthetic methane from an energy, technical and economic perspective – a project with global potential.
Mitigating emissions in the livestock production sector
A new study shows that emission intensity per unit of animal protein produced has decreased globally over the past two decades due to greater production efficiency, raising questions around the extent to which methane emissions will change in the future and how we can better manage their negative impacts.
Finding fire and ice: Modeling the probability of methane hydrate deposits on the seafloor
A team of researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have developed a new system to model the likelihood of finding methane hydrate and methane gas that was tested in a region of seafloor off the coast of North Carolina. This test was published on March 14 in the scientific journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.
New method converts methane in natural gas to methanol at room temperature
Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered a way to convert the methane in natural gas into liquid methanol at room temperature.
Methane Emissions from Coal Mines Are Higher Than Previously Thought
Methane emissions from coal mining are likely much higher than previously calculated, according to new research. That’s due mainly to emissions from abandoned mines and higher methane content in deep coal seams.
Rutgers Legal Expert Available to Discuss Environmental, Climate Change Priorities
New Brunswick, N.J. (Jan. 21, 2021) – Rutgers University Professor Cymie R. Payne, an expert on United States and international environmental laws, is available for interviews on how the administration of President Biden can strengthen laws and regulations and efforts to…
Symbionts of Methane Eating Microbes Fix Nitrogen
Sediments on the ocean floor contain large amounts of methane. Two groups of microbes work together in symbiosis to break down this methane in oxygen-deprived sediments. New research shows that both groups can fix nitrogen to satisfy their need for nutrients from methane. This helps the microbes hedge against changes in their environment.
Cornell University to Extract Energy from Manure to Meet Peak Heating Demands
Cornell University is developing a system to extract energy from cattle manure to meet the campus’s peak demands for heat in the winter months. In the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, scientists involved with the project give a detailed analysis of the issues required to make this work, including scientific, economic, and energy policy considerations.
Methane found in tidal marshes
A pair of new studies found that large amounts of methane can be found in tidal salt marshes, a discovery that will be critical in the fight to battle climate change.
NUS engineers invent fast and safe way to store natural gas for useful applications
Engineers from NUS have devised a method to convert natural gas into a non-explosive solid form known as gas hydrates, which can be easily stored and transported. Using a novel, low-toxicity additive mixture, the conversion can be completed in just 15 minutes – the fastest time ever reported.
UNH Collaborates with 13 Universities to Understand Climate Change and Ecosystems
The University of New Hampshire is one of 14 universities from around the globe that have collectively been awarded $12.5 million by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch a new Biology Integration Institute (BII), called EMERGE, which will focus on better understanding ecosystem and climate interactions—like the thawing of the Arctic permafrost—and how they can alter everything from the landscape to greenhouse gases.
A new method for making a key component of plastics
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown way that some bacteria produce the chemical ethylene – a finding that could lead to new ways to produce plastics without using fossil fuels.
Trump rollback of methane regulations ‘dangerously reckless’
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to adopt new rules this week that would rollback regulations for methane-gas emissions — rescinding requirements that oil and gas companies have systems for detecting methane leaks. Robert Howarth is professor of ecology and…
‘Blinking” Crystals May Convert CO2 into Fuels
Imagine tiny crystals that “blink” like fireflies and can convert carbon dioxide, a key cause of climate change, into fuels. A Rutgers-led team has created ultra-small titanium dioxide crystals that exhibit unusual “blinking” behavior and may help to produce methane and other fuels, according to a study in the journal Angewandte Chemie. The crystals, also known as nanoparticles, stay charged for a long time and could benefit efforts to develop quantum computers.
Containing methane and its contribution to global warming
Methane is a gas that deserves more attention in the climate debate as it contributes to almost half of human-made global warming in the short-term.
When peatlands burn in mega-fires, stored methane is rapidly released into the atmosphere. #EmissionsGap #ClimateAction @UNEP @MTUcfres
According to a report released on Tuesday by the United Nations Environment, Global greenhouse gas emissions have grown by 1.5 percent every year over the last decade. To stay within relatively safe limits, emissions must decline sharply, by 7.6 percent every year, between 2020 and…