Indian Scientists Develop Non-Toxic Organic Photocatalyst That Converts Carbon-Dioxide Into Methane

Catalyst develops by scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research is free of metals, non-toxic and absorbs visible light to efficiently convert carbon-dioxide to methane

Schematic showing CO2 capture and visible-light-driven conversion of CO2 to solar fuel CH4, using a metal-free redox-active conjugated microporous polymer. The Indian scientists' team comprised (from top) Prof. Tapas. K. Maji, Dr Soumitra Barman, Dr Ashish Singh and Faruk Ahamed Rahimi | Photo: PIB

New Delhi: Indian scientists have designed a cost-effective organic catalyst to convert carbon-dioxide (CO2) to methane. The catalyst is free of metals, and absorbs visible light to convert CO2 to methane. 

Many researchers are focused on reducing CO2 by converting it into value-added products. One such value-added product could be methane, which is the cleanest burning fossil fuel. 

Methane is the main component of natural gas and can replace coal to generate electricity. 

The photochemical method of reducing CO2 uses solar light as a renewable source of energy. 

The catalyst was designed by a team of scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.

The team comprised Prof. Tapas. K. Maji, Dr Soumitra Barman, Dr Ashish Singh and Faruk Ahamed Rahimi.

Their study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Indian Scientists Overcome A Challenge

Most catalysts contain toxic and expensive metal counterparts. The Indian scientists’ team designed a metal-free porous organic polymer to overcome this drawback. The polymer is designed to absorb visible light and catalyse the reaction which reduces CO2. 

The catalyst has a chemical called the conjugated microporous polymer (CMP). This could uptake CO2 onto its surface due to its high CO2 intake capability at room temperature, converting it into methane as a value-added product.

The scientists have successfully developed a cost-effective, metal free system which can produce methane in large amounts, which serves as a novel technique for efficient carbon-dioxide capture and reduction.