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Catalysis

A step closer to a methanol economy

Nature volume 495, pages 54–55 (2013)Cite this article

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A ruthenium catalyst has been developed that, at a few parts per million, releases hydrogen gas from methanol, a simple bulk chemical. The advance might allow methanol to be used as a hydrogen source for fuelling vehicles. See Letter p.85

Fossil fuels are a worry. For example, the phenomenon of global warming is linked to the presence of atmospheric greenhouse gases arising from their use1. Combustion of these fuels has provided convenient energy for centuries, and so there are also questions about the extent of remaining, accessible oil supplies2. Combine these issues with environmental concerns, and with humans' seemingly insatiable thirst for energy, and the result is a strong motivation to seek alternative energy sources. In this issue (page 85), Nielsen et al.3 report a dramatic advance that might pave the way to the practical use of one such alternative: hydrogen gas derived from the solvent methanolFootnote 1.

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Figure 1: Simplified mechanism for the catalytic generation of hydrogen from methanol.

Notes

  1. *This article and the paper under discussion3 were published online on 27 February 2013.

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  1. Douglas W. Stephan is in the Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada.,

    Douglas W. Stephan

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  1. Douglas W. Stephan
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Correspondence to Douglas W. Stephan.

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Stephan, D. A step closer to a methanol economy. Nature 495, 54–55 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11955

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