Natural gas was successfully converted into liquid alcohol using main group elements like thallium and lead by Brigham Young University researchers
This breakthrough development can help reduce dependence on petroleum as the liquid alcohol can now be used as fuel. Researchers were surprised to find that something as simple as "main group" metals like thallium and lead were capable of triggering the conversion of natural gas to liquid alcohol.
"This is a highly novel piece of work that opens the way to upgrading of natural gas to useful chemicals with simple materials and moderate conditions," said Robert Crabtree, a chemistry professor at Yale who is familiar with the new study, in a press statement.
Researchers from Brigham Young University revealed that this conversion took place at 180 degrees Celsius, a temperature far lower than that used in current industry practices. They were very interested to know why this process works at low temperatures and under mild conditions.
One of the reasons could be because both thallium and lead have relatively low melting points. While lead melts at 327 degrees Celsius, thallium has a melting point of 304 degrees Celsius - the reason why these elements are considered "poor metals". Another advantage of using both these metals is that they are widely available for commercial purposes.
The new development couldn't come at a better time. Currently, the natural gas production is booming in America after underperforming for the last five years, according to media reports.
The new process of natural gas to liquid alcohol conversion brings about new techniques that can prove beneficial for the natural gas production industry in the country. It eliminates an entire step, making the process simpler and cost effective. In current industry practices, the three main parts of raw natural gas (methane, ethane and propane) are separated before they are turned into fuels or other useful chemicals. This step is left out in the new process.
"Hardly anybody actually tries to do reactions on a genuine mixture that you would get from natural gas," said Daniel Ess, a BYU chemistry professor and one of the study authors in the statement. "Turns out we can just directly use the mixture of what comes out of natural gas and convert all three of them together."
While everything seems perfect with this new process, there could be a few negative consequences. Thallium is a highly toxic metal and can even cause cancer. In fact, this metal is also said to be more harmful for marine life than mercury and lead. It affects the nervous system, lung, heart, liver, and kidney if large amounts are eaten or drunk for short periods of time.
The federal government has set standards and guidelines to protect individuals from the possible effects of excessive thallium exposure. The EPA has determined a water quality criteria level of 13 ppb in surrounding waters to protect humans from the harmful effects of drinking water and eating food containing thallium.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established an occupational limit of 0.1 mg of soluble thallium compounds per cubic meter of workplace air for an 8-hour workday over a 40-hour workweek.
A detailed report of the study is published in the March issue of Science magazine.
