Challenges and Opportunities in Direct Conversion of Methane to Higher Value Products

Industrial and academic researchers have long sought opportunities for direct conversion of methane to higher value products. This talk will present an overview of R&D efforts, both industrial and academic, over the past several years. We will discuss the fundamental challenges associated with methane activation and attempts to solve them through myriad approaches. Notable topics to be covered include: bio-inspired heterogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis, oxidative routes and process intensification through membrane reactors and plasma based conversion. We will discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with each of these areas. As we seek to convert methane to higher value products we also seek to deliver those products with a lower carbon footprint vs. incumbent technologies. To that end we will discuss energy intensity and carbon footprint associated with today’s commercial gas conversion technologies and contrast with various approaches being pursued by the scientific community. Finally, we will present a perspective on the key areas for future work in direct methane conversion needed to turn promising leads into viable commercial scale processes.