THE researchers of the INAMAT2 Institute of the Public University of Navarra (UPNA) have made significant progress in developing a new method using heterogeneous catalysts produce methane Since carbon dioxide (CO₂) using light as a source of energy.
In addition, they carried out tests with natural lighting and they obtained large quantities of methane using only sunlight to start the chemical reaction. This represents great progress towards the production of clean fuelssince the solar methane obtained can be an alternative to natural gas.
THE catalysts These are materials that allow a chemical reaction to occur under milder conditions, such as lower temperatures or pressures, without being consumed. THE heterogeneous photocatalysts that UPNA researchers use are made up of ruthenium put into operation metal oxides as titanium, zirconium And cerium.
These were exposed to concentrated sunlight make the call Sabatier’s reactionwhich made it possible to produce methane from carbon dioxide without the need for additional energy to reach the reaction temperature. This shows that the catalysts are viable in real-world light conditions, meaning this technology can work well in everyday situations.
Another interesting aspect of this work is that the UPNA researchers managed to separately analyze the effects of photocatalysis and the thermocatalysis caused by the solar radiation.
This means that sunlight not only provides heat, helping to achieve the necessary temperatures, but also activates the electrons in the photocatalysts to participate in the chemical reaction.
The combination of the two is called photo-thermocatalysisa new area within the heterogeneous catalysiswhich improves the use of solar radiation compared to traditional photocatalysts.
The team was able to identify the material characteristics and conditions that promote these effects, which is key to improving this technology and making it competitive in the future.
In the current context of climate crisiscaused by the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, capture technologies and the use of CO₂ are presented as an alternative to production clean fuels while reducing the amount of this gas in the air. THE Sabatier’s reactionknown for more than a century, has recently aroused interest because it allows the combination of carbon dioxide and hydrogen to produce methane and water.
For this methane to be considered a clean fuel, the hydrogen must come from sources renewable. The most developed method for obtaining renewable hydrogen is water electrolysiswhich separates water into hydrogen and oxygen using electric current. If the electricity used comes from renewable sources such as solar, wind either hydroelectrichydrogen is called “green hydrogen”. The methane produced by the Sabatier reaction will be a clean fuel with similar properties and applications to natural gas. Furthermore, this solar methane has great potential not only as a clean fuel, but also as a hydrogen carrierusing existing infrastructure for transporting natural gas.
The article detailing this research was published in the journal “Applied catalysis B: Environment and energy”who is one of the most influential in the field of environmental engineering.
