麻豆淫院

The energy transition requires not only new sources but also efficient ways to store and transport energy. Scientists at Kiel University (CAU) have now developed a novel catalyst that can convert carbon dioxide (CO鈧�)鈥攐ne of the most important greenhouse gases鈥攊nto methane. This gas serves as a versatile energy carrier and can be directly fed into existing natural gas networks.

The new catalyst is inexpensive, durable, and performs better than industrially used materials. The findings have just been in ChemSusChem.

Power-to-gas: Storing CO鈧� as methane

The underlying power-to-gas (PtG) concept stores renewable energy in chemical form. Using electricity, researchers first generate hydrogen and then react it with CO鈧� to form methane. "Under real-world conditions, the reaction mixture fluctuates due to varying electricity supply from wind and solar energy. We therefore need catalysts that perform reliably even under such variable conditions," says Professor Malte Behrens from the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at Kiel University, who leads the Kiel subproject within the DFG Priority Program SPP 2080.

This interdisciplinary project combines chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering. Typical of the priority research area "Kiel Nano, Surface and Interface Science" (KiNSIS), the scientists study materials from the atomic scale to technical applications, tailoring their properties for practical use.

Nanostructure drives efficiency

The Kiel team adapted a proven concept for the new catalyst: They combined the elements nickel and magnesium at the atomic level. This controlled co-crystallization forms a solid solution that, just before the actual reaction in the reactor, separates into tiny nickel particles stabilized by magnesium oxide. The magnesium oxide also enhances CO鈧� adsorption, making the reaction particularly efficient.

"This nanoscale structure is key," says doctoral researcher Anna Wolf, the study's first author. "The nickel particles remain evenly distributed, and the magnesium oxide significantly supports methane formation."

The result is impressive: even at relatively low temperatures of 260掳C, the catalyst converts large amounts of CO鈧� into methane. In practical terms, just 1 kilogram of the material can produce enough methane in less than a week to heat a single-family home for an entire year.

From lab to industrial application

The team attributes its success to the careful optimization of every synthesis step. "It all started with the idea of transferring a proven concept to a new material system," says Behrens. "The fact that our catalyst now outperforms industrial materials highlights the value of systematic basic research."

The researchers are now scaling up their lab results and testing the catalyst under real PtG conditions together with partners at the University of Hamburg. The Priority Program SPP 2080, "Catalysts and Reactors under Dynamic Operation Conditions for Energy Storage and Conversion," is coordinated by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). In twelve subprojects, research teams from across Germany are working closely together on this challenge.