MIT chemical engineers have devised a way to capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and convert it into polymers.
MIT chemical engineers have devised a way to capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and convert it into polymers.
Although it is less abundant than carbon dioxide, methane gas contributes disproportionately to global warming because it traps more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, due to its molecular structure.
MIT chemical engineers have now designed a new catalyst that can convert methane into useful polymers, which could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“What to do with methane has been a longstanding problem,” says Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and the senior author of the study. “It’s a source of carbon, and we want to keep it out of the atmosphere but also turn it into something useful.”
Read more at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Image: MIT chemical engineers designed a two-part catalyst that can convert methane gas to useful products. The catalyst consists of iron-modified aluminum silicate plus an enzyme called alcohol oxidase (enzyme not pictured).Credit: Courtesy of the researchers
