Developing a low temperature, cost-effective, and ‘green' method for the conversion of methane via partial oxidation to methanol will have significant impact in capturing natural gas resources, in particular from stranded natural gas reserves. In the past two years, our research effort has been focused on the fundamental understanding of low temperature methane activation mediated by eco-friendly ionic liquids under oxidizing acid condition. Strong integration of theory and experimental studies gives us a new perspective on the detailed mechanistic reaction in these catalytic processes. Here we will present the role of ionic liquids in the methane activation process, the stability of ionic liquid, and how to use ionic liquids for water deactivation problems.

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