Low-concentration methane removal: what can we learn from high-concentration methane conversion?

Methane (CH4) is the world's second most potent greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO2). Removal of low concentrations of CH4 from the environment by an advanced oxidation process (i.e., total oxidation to CO2) powered by solar energy is attractive. However, studies of solar-driven methane oxidation have focused on the selective conversion of CH4 to high-value chemicals, where methane usually occurs in high concentrations. In this paper, the related work of selective conversion of high-concentration CH4 is introduced first, and the mechanism of selective conversion of CH4 is discussed. The bad reaction (i.e., total oxidation to CO2) reported in selective conversion of high concentration CH4 is pointed out, hoping to guide the related work of removal of low concentration CH4.

Automated summary

This paper addresses the issue of methane, the world's second most potent greenhouse gas, and proposes a method for the removal of low concentrations of methane through a solar-driven advanced oxidation process to fully oxidize it into carbon dioxide. The paper first introduces the selective conversion of high-concentration methane and discusses its mechanism, and then points out the total oxidation reaction reported in selective conversion, hoping to guide the removal of low-concentration methane.