Im Jaehyung, Cheong Seok-Hyeon, Dang Huyen Tran, Kim Nak-Kyoon, Hwang Sungwon, Lee Ki Bong, Kim Kyeongsu, Lee Hyunjoo, Lee Ung
Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), 02792, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
Commun Chem. 2023 Dec 20;6(1):282. doi: 10.1038/s42004-023-01080-4.
The direct oxidation of methane to methanol has been spotlighted research for decades, but has never been commercialized. This study introduces cost-effective process for co-producing methanol and sulfuric acid through a direct oxidation of methane. In the initial phase, methane oxidation forms methyl bisulfate (CHOSOH), then transformed into methyl trifluoroacetate (CFCOCH) via esterification, and hydrolyzed into methanol. This approach eliminates the need for energy-intensive separation of methyl bisulfate from sulfuric acid by replacing the former with methyl trifluoroacetate. Through the superstructure optimization, our sequential process reduces the levelized cost of methanol to nearly two-fold reduction from the current market price. Importantly, this process demonstrates adaptability to smaller gas fields, assuring its economical operation across a broad range of gas fields. The broader application of this process could substantially mitigate global warming by utilizing methane, leading to a significantly more sustainable and economically beneficial methanol industry.
几十年来，甲烷直接氧化制甲醇一直是备受关注的研究课题，但从未实现商业化。本研究介绍了一种通过甲烷直接氧化联产甲醇和硫酸的经济高效工艺。在初始阶段，甲烷氧化形成甲基硫酸氢酯（CH₃OSO₃H），然后通过酯化反应转化为甲基三氟乙酸酯（CF₃COOCH₃），并水解成甲醇。这种方法通过用甲基三氟乙酸酯替代甲基硫酸氢酯，消除了从硫酸中进行能源密集型分离甲基硫酸氢酯的需求。通过上层结构优化，我们的连续工艺将甲醇的平准化成本降低至当前市场价格的近两倍。重要的是，该工艺展示了对较小气田的适应性，确保其在广泛的气田范围内经济运行。该工艺的更广泛应用可以通过利用甲烷大幅减轻全球变暖，从而带来显著更具可持续性和经济效益的甲醇产业。
