Russian scientists have made a breakthrough in the processing of natural and associated petroleum gas. The plasma technology they developed using water makes it possible to produce valuable chemical products easier, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than traditional methods.
Siberian chemists have found a way to convert natural and associated petroleum gas into valuable liquid hydrocarbons. Researchers from the Institute of Petroleum Chemistry SB RAS have created a unique technique based on the use of barrier discharge plasma. Unlike classical processes that require high temperatures and expensive catalysts, the new approach is much simpler and easier to manage.
The secret to efficiency lies in the use of water. It prevents the formation of unwanted long hydrocarbon chains, ensuring high purity and selectivity of the process. This makes the technology not only more efficient, but also environmentally friendly.
The innovation is based on a plasma reactor based on an ozonizer. An electrical discharge is generated in it, which splits oxygen into an active atomic state. It is this high-energy oxygen that then reacts with the source gas, leading to the formation of valuable oxygen-containing compounds: alcohols, aldehydes and ketones.
Scientists also determined the optimal gas compositions for the targeted synthesis of target products. For example, methane allows you to produce methanol and formaldehyde, propane – acetone and propanol, and from butane you can synthesize butanol, butanal and methyl ethyl ketone. This opens up wide possibilities for the controlled production of mixtures of these substances by combining different gas fractions.
The relevance of the development is difficult to overestimate. According to data from the Central Dispatch Department of the Fuel and Energy Complex, gas processing in Russia is showing steady growth. The new technology allows not only to increase economic efficiency, but also to solve an important environmental problem. It opens the way to the rational use of more than 20 billion cubic meters. m of associated gas, which is flared annually. This is a real contribution to sustainable development and the green economy of the future.
The material was prepared with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science as part of the Decade of Science and Technology.
Source: @cdutek
Photo: new.ras.ru
