Catalyst Improves Methane Combustion Performance...

摘要

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), along with collaborators from Italy and Spain, have created a material that catalyses the burning of methane 30 times better than currently available catalysts. According to the researchers, the discovery offers a way to more completely exploit energy from methane, potentially reducing emissions of this powerful greenhouse gas from vehicles that run on natural gas. The catalyst may also offer a cleaner and cheaper way of generating energy from catalytic combustion in gas turbines. "It's hard to come up with materials that are active enough and stable enough to withstand the harsh conditions of methane combustion," said UPenn's Raymond J. Gorte, the Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer professor in the University's department of chemical and biomolecular engineering.