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The Methanol Economy This guest editorial is by George A. Olah, director of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, University ofSouthern California. A native ofHungary, Olah received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1994 for hispioneering work on carbocation chemistry. He has a long-standing interest in alternative hydrocarbon sources, as well as related energy and environmental issues.
C
OAL, OIL, AND NATURAL GAS (FOSSIL
fuels) are not only our main energy sources but they are also raw materials for a great variety of man-made products. These products range from gasoline, diesel oil, and varied petrochemical and chemical products (including synthesis materials) to plastics and pharmaceuticals. What nature gave us as a gift, built up over eons, is beingused up rather rapidly since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. By the end of this century, these natural resources will be significantly depleted and will become increasingly cosdy Thus, we urgently need to search for new sources and solutions. All fossil fuels are substantially hydrocarbons, with varying carbon-to-hydrogen ratios. Upon their combustion, the carbon is converted into carbon dioxide and the hydrogen into water. Onourhurnantimescale, these fuels are beingused up irreversibly In addition, increasing C0 2 content of the atmosphere is considered a major man-made source contributing to global warming. With our diminishingfossilfuel resources and inherent difficulties of using atomic or alternative energies, there is agreat need to find and develop convenient new forms for energy storage and distribution. Much has been said recently about the future "hydrogen economy" Hydrogen can be generated by electrolyzing water, this requires energy Upon its reaction with oxygen, water is formed and energy is released. Hydrogen can thus be considered as away of storing energy. Hydrogen can also be produced by reforming hydrocarbons. Handling volatile and potentially explosive H 2 , however, requires high pressure and the use of special materials and equipment. No infrastructure exists, and its production would be extremely expensive. Even with the greatest of care, however, leaks would be extremely hazardous, limiting wide use by consumers. Instead ofusing hydrogen directly, I suggest that a better solution is to convert it, by reaction with carbon dioxide, to methyl alcohol (methanol, CH 3 OH), a colorless liquid (boiling point 64.7 °C).
Methanol is a bulk commercial chemical. Currently, methanol is madefromnatural gas via its incomplete combustion, producing synthesis gas—that is, CO and H2—which then catalytically (via FischerTropsch chemistry) is converted to CH 3 OH. Recently, we found it to be the suitable fuel in the new generation of the "direct methanol fuel cell" (DMFC, which we discovered in cooperation with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology). The device converts methanol into C 0 2 and H 2 0, producing electricity The DMFC technology is being commercialized in many devices, including cellular phones, laptop computers, and more. In recent years, it was also found that CH3OH could be dehydrated to ethylene (by zeolite or acid-base catalysis): 2CH 3 OH ->CH 2 =CH 2 + 2H 2 Q Ethylene, in turn, can produce all hydrocarbon fuels and products currently obtained from fossil sources. Thus, it is realistic to say that if we can produce methanol efficiently from a non-fossil-fuel source, it could eventually replace oil and gas as a fuel and chemical raw material. Such a solution exists in the hydrogenation/reduction of carbon dioxide to methanol, which would also mitigate global warming. The process would be driven by atomic energy (albeit made safer and solving problems of radioactive waste disposal) as well as by varied alternative energy sources (sun, wind, hydroelectric, etc.). It is thus reasonable to start considering the "methanol economy" as an alternative to the "hydrogen economy." In fact, methanol is a safer carrier of hydrogen. I raised these points some years ago, and it is rewarding to see that these ideas are getting increasing attention. It is to this effect that efforts of our Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute at USC and those of various other research groups around the world are increasingly directed. George A. Olah
Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute
Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS. HTTP://WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
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