Researchers from McGill University have successfully transformed two of the most harmful greenhouse gases into useful chemical compounds using sunlight. Their discovery could help combat climate change and offer a more sustainable way to produce certain industrial products.
“Imagine a world where your car's exhaust fumes or factory emissions could be transformed by the Sun into a product that can serve as clean fuel for vehicles or as energy for fuel cells, or one that could be used to make plastic,” explains Hui Su, co-lead author of the study and postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University. “This is exactly what this new chemical process makes possible.”
Indeed, the research team succeeded in converting both methane and carbon dioxide under the power of sunlight in a single reaction into green methanol and carbon monoxide—two products highly valuable to the chemical and energy industries, according to the researchers.
A natural phenomenon leading to a sustainable solution Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study describes a new mechanism inspired by nature itself: it mirrors photosynthesis, which allows plants to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen, using sunlight.
Exposed to sunlight, a mixture of gold, palladium, and gallium nitride acting as a catalyst triggers a reaction: the carbon dioxide releases an oxygen atom, which binds to a methane molecule to form green methanol and a byproduct, carbon monoxide.
“By harnessing the Sun's abundant energy, we are essentially recycling two greenhouse gases into useful products. Unlike other chemical reactions, this process does not require strong reagents and works at room temperature,” says Chao-Jun Li, the study's lead author, James McGill Professor in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University, and Canada Research Chair in Green Chemistry.
“This innovation opens a promising path for Canada, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. It turns an environmental problem into a solution for a more sustainable future,” comments Jing-Tan Han, co-lead author of the study and PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University.
The study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Research Chairs program, the Fonds de recherche du Québec—Nature et technologies, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the McGill University Sustainable Development Research Hub, Axelys, and CataLum Technologies.
The study, "Photosynthesis of CH3OH via oxygen-atom-grafting from CO2 to CH4 enabled by AuPd/GaN", by Su, H., Li, C., et al., was published in the journal Nature Communications.