Schematic
representation of the conversion of CO2 and water
to methane and
carbon monoxide
(September 2, 2015) A
discovery made in Leiden helps not only to make natural gas from CO2 but also
to store renewable energy. Research by Professor Marc Koper and PhD student
Jing Shen shows how this process can be implemented in a cost-effective and
controllable way. Nature Communications, 2 september 2015.
A few euros
The conversion of the greenhouse gas CO2 into natural gas is
achieved using a chemical process in which CO2 is bubbled through an acid
solution. The solution contains a graphite electrode – to which a small negative
voltage is applied – with a cobalt-porphyrin catalyst attached to it. It was
already known that this catalyst can convert CO2 into carbon monoxide and
methane, but the reaction always released unwanted hydrogen. In their
investigation, Koper and Shen show for the first time how the process works.
They therefore know exactly what the best acidity degree is in order to
minimise the amount of hydrogen and to convert as much CO2 as possible into
natural gas.
Common materials
An added benefit is that the catalyst is entirely made up of
common materials. Cobalt porphyrin is a part of vitamin B12, while the graphite
for the electrode is similar to a pencil lead. Therefore the catalyst only
costs a few euros. Comparable methods of converting CO2 into methane often use
rare and expensive metals, such as platinum.