The use of hydrogen as a viable source of clean fuel for the future could be a step closer thanks to the use of platinum catalysts.

Tina Nenoff, distinguished member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories, has carried out research into developing catalytic zeolite membrane that can be used in turning methane into higher hydrocarbons, such as ethane, propane and hydrogen.

In conjunction with Junhang Dong, of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Ms Nenoff has developed the membrane for the nonoxidative conversion of methane, with the help of a platinum catalyst.

The membrane has bimetallic clusters of a platinum-cobalt catalyst contained inside the zeolite channels.

According to the authors of the study, the conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons offers tremendous potential to industry, due to the fact that methane is a renewable resource which can be produced through bioprocesses, therefore offering a clean alternative fuel resource.

Although it remains a challenging topic for researchers, this breakthrough using platinum catalysts could have an important benefit as the world continues its quest to find renewable resources that are as easy and cheap to produce as fossil fuels.


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