#methanol

A research team affiliated with UNIST has made a significant breakthrough in sustainable technology through the development of a method to convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) into methanol—a process that could play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and producing environmentally friendly fuels. Led by Professor Jungki Ryu of the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, in collaboration with Professors Jongsoon Kim of Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) and Aloysius Son of Yonsei University, the team successfully developed a novel copper-based catalyst capable of transforming CO₂ into high-purity methanol. The research is published in Advanced Materials.

Bottled lightning makes a cleaner fuel

Northwestern University chemists have discovered a new way to turn natural gas into liquid fuel—and it's lightning in a bottle. By harnessing tiny bursts of plasma—or mini "lightning bolts"—in glass tubes submerged in water, the team has successfully converted methane directly into methanol in a single step. Methanol is a versatile, high-demand industrial chemical used to make many products people use every day. It is also commonly used as an industrial solvent and is gaining attention as a cleaner-burning fuel for ships and industrial boilers. The method bypasses the extreme heat and high pressures required for current industrial processes, which blast apart methane and rebuild it as methanol in a multistep process. While the current method is reliable, it's energy intensive and emits millions of tons of carbon dioxide per year globally.

The Scientific Research Notes Of S. Sunkavally. Printed Part, Page 351.

“Community members and environmental groups declared victory in a near decade-long fight to stop South Louisiana Methanol from constructing a petrochemical complex in St. James Parish, a predominantly Black community already overburdened with industrial pollution.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) released a letter stating it has withdrawn its review of South Louisiana Methanol’s application to modify the air permits for its planned methanol complex. LDEQ had given South Louisiana Methanol until August 19, 2022 to confirm whether it intended to go forward with its development plans before formally withdrawing its review of the pending application. The company failed to respond, therefore confirming the end of South Louisiana Methanol’s project.

“South Louisiana Methanol finally threw in the towel having learned that our community will not back down in the fight to protect our health and wellbeing from more industrial pollution,” said Sharon Lavigne, founder of RISE St. James. “Today is a tremendous victory, but we will never stop fighting against polluters who think our health is less important than their dirty profits.”