"Imagine a world where the exhaust from your car or emissions from a factory could be transformed, with the help of sunlight, into clean fuel for vehicles, the building blocks for everyday plastics, and energy stored in batteries," said Hui Su, co-first author and a Postdoctoral Fellow in McGill's Department of Chemistry. "That's precisely the kind of transformation this new chemical process enables."
The research team has successfully used sunlight to convert methane and carbon dioxide into green methanol and carbon monoxide in a single reaction. Both chemicals have wide applications in the energy and chemical industries.
Inspired by nature's process
The study, published in 'Nature Communications', highlights a novel method that mimics nature's own approach. The process is somewhat akin to photosynthesis, where plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
In this sunlight-powered process, a catalyst made from a combination of gold, palladium, and gallium nitride plays a critical role. When exposed to sunlight, it drives a reaction in which an oxygen atom from carbon dioxide bonds with a methane molecule, producing green methanol. Carbon monoxide is generated as a byproduct.
"By tapping into the abundant energy of the sun, we can essentially recycle two greenhouse gases into useful products. The process works at room temperature and doesn't require the high heat or harsh chemicals used in other chemical reactions," explained Chao-Jun Li, lead author of the study, a Distinguished James McGill Professor, and Canada Research Chair in Green/Organic Chemistry.
"This innovation offers a promising path towards Canada's target of net-zero emissions by 2050 and turns an environmental challenge into an opportunity for a more sustainable future," added Jing-Tan Han, co-first author and a PhD student at McGill.
The study received support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Research Chair program, Fonds de Recherche du Quebec Nature et technologies, the Canada Foundation for Innovations, McGill University's MSSI fund, Axelys, and Catalum Technologies.
Research Report:Photosynthesis of CH3OH via oxygen-atom-grafting from CO2 to CH4 enabled by AuPd/GaN
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