Photocatalytic production of methanol and hydrogen from methane and water

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:467981

Taylor, C E; D`Este, J R; Martello, D V ^[1]

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1. Department of Energy, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); and others

Investigation of direct conversion of methane to transportation fuels has been an ongoing effort at PETC for over 10 years. One of our current areas of research is the conversion of methane to methanol, under mild conditions, using light, water, and a semiconductor photocatalyst. Research in our laboratory is directed toward adapting the chemistry developed for photolysis of water to that of methane conversion. The reaction sequence of interest uses visible light a doped tungsten oxide photocatalyst and an electron transfer molecule to produce a hydroxyl radical. Hydroxyl radical can then react with a methane molecule to produce a methyl radical. In the preferred reaction pathway, the methyl radical then reacts with an additional water molecule to produce methanol and hydrogen.

• OSTI ID: 467981
• Report Number(s): CONF-960652--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
40 CHEMISTRY
CATALYSIS
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELECTRON TRANSFER
HYDROXYL RADICALS
METHANE
METHANOL
METHANOL FUELS
METHYL RADICALS
PHOTOLYSIS
SYNTHESIS
TUNGSTEN OXIDES
WATER