Oxidative Trapping of Dilute Methane with Iron & Copper Exchanged Zeolites

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, 28 times stronger than CO2, and has the second largest contribution to anthropogenic global warming after CO2. Remediation of methane in common emission streams is challenging because 1) the methane concentrations are often dilute, 2) methane is relatively difficult to oxidize, and 3) many processes leading to methane emissions are difficult to replace with alternative technology. In this project we propose the use of highly reactive oxidation sites on the surface of iron and copper exchanged zeolites to oxidize methane in low concentrations to products that are effectively trapped onto the zeolite (e.g. methanol or methoxy) - thereby removing the methane from the emission stream.

Zeolites are crystalline materials widely used as catalysts in the petrochemical industry and for environmental applications. They exhibit a large specific surface area due to their micro-porosity where iron and copper active sites can be implanted. These active sites form very reactive oxidation sites, namely [Fe=O]2+ & [CuOCu]2+, whose geometric and electronic structure have been described. In this project we will tackle some fundamental hurdles with the prospect of the implementation of the latter active sites in realistic applications. We will investigate their formation from widely available O2. We will investigate the reasons for their reactivity. Lastly we will investigate  their interaction with H2O, inevitably present in HC oxidation processes.