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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

A New Coupled Biogeochemical Modeling Approach Provides Accurate Predictions of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Fluxes Across Diverse Tidal Wetlands

Abstract Tidal wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services, including storing large amounts of carbon. However, the net exchanges of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) in tidal wetlands are highly uncertain. While several biogeochemical models can operate in tidal wetlands, they have yet to be parameterized and validated against high‐frequency, ecosystem‐scale CO 2 and CH 4 flux measurements across diverse sites. We paired the Cohort Marsh Equilibrium Model (CMEM) with a version of the PEPRMT model called PEPRMT‐Tidal, which considers the effects of water table height, sulfate, and nitrate availability on CO 2 and CH 4 emissions. Using a model‐data fusion approach, we parameterized the model with three sites and validated it with two independent sites, with representation from the three marine coasts of North America. Gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (R eco ) modules explained, on average, 73% of the variation in CO 2 exchange with low model error (normalized root mean square error (nRMSE) <1). The CH 4 module also explained the majority of variance in CH 4 emissions in validation sites ( R 2 = 0.54; nRMSE = 1.15). The PEPRMT‐Tidal‐CMEM model coupling is a key advance toward constraining estimates of greenhouse gas emissions across diverse North American tidal wetlands. Further analyses of model error and case studies during changing salinity conditions guide future modeling efforts regarding four main processes: (a) the influence of salinity and nitrate on GPP, (b) the influence of laterally transported dissolved inorganic C on R eco , (c) heterogeneous sulfate availability and methylotrophic methanogenesis impacts on surface CH 4 emissions, and (d) CH 4 responses to non‐periodic changes in salinity.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Carbon dioxide, water vapor and methane soil efflux (soil respiration) in a Pinus palustris root exclusion in Georgetown, SC

This dataset contains processed data from a combination of survey flux chambers and long-term automated flux chambers. Soil flux measurements were conducted from June 2023 through December 2025 in a mature longleaf pine forest in Georgetown, SC. Soil respiration measurements were conducted approximately biweekly for two and a half years, before and after a root exclusion that took place on May 5, 2024. Processed, QAQC’d data for the treatment (root exclusion) and control (roots intact) before and after the root exclusion can be found in the file: 1_DATA_ESS_DOE_HR_RS_HB2_QAQC_Survey_Data_20260223.csv. Two multiday deployments were also conducted prior to the root exclusion using long-term automated chambers to continuously monitor greenhouse gas soil efflux. Processed, QAQC’d data for both long-term deployments can be found in the file: 2_DATA_ESS_DOE_HR_RS_HB2_QAQC_Longterm_Data_20260209.csv. Raw and working data files (.json, .81x, & .82z format) from LI-COR equipment are included for reference and can be accessed using SoilFluxPro software. CSV metadata files describe the raw data and modifications made using SoilFluxPro v5 and Matlab R2024b, as well as formatting and units for processed CSVs. Matlab code is included for reading in the processed CSVs, with sample figures comparing treatment and control. This research was performed as part of the project: “Improving models of stand and watershed carbon and water fluxes with more accurate representations of soil-plant-water dynamics in southern pine ecosystems”, which examines in part the effects hydraulic redistribution on soil efflux of carbon dioxide, water vapor and methane, as well as soil moisture and temperature in a southern pine ecosystem with sandy soils and high water table.

CARBON DIOXIDE FLUX↗
DOE OSTI2026

Carbon dioxide, water vapor and methane soil efflux (soil respiration) in a Pinus palustris restoration site in Georgetown, SC

This dataset contains processed data from a combination of survey flux chambers and long-term automated flux chambers. Biweekly soil flux measurements were conducted from June 2023 through December 2025 at a longleaf pine restoration site in Georgetown, SC. Processed, QAQC’d data can be found in the file: 1_DATA_ESS_DOE_HR_RS_HB3_QAQC_Survey_Data_20260223.csv. Raw and working data files (.json, & .81x format) from LI-COR equipment are included for reference and can be accessed using SoilFluxPro software. CSV metadata files describe the raw data and modifications made using SoilFluxPro v5 and Matlab R2024b, as well as formatting and units for processed CSVs. Matlab code is included for reading in the processed CSVs. This research was performed as part of the project: “Improving models of stand and watershed carbon and water fluxes with more accurate representations of soil-plant-water dynamics in southern pine ecosystems”, which examines in part the effects hydraulic redistribution on soil efflux of carbon dioxide, water vapor and methane, as well as soil moisture and temperature in a southern pine ecosystem with sandy soils and high water table.

CARBON DIOXIDE FLUX↗
DOE OSTI2024

Research goals for minimizing the cost of CO 2 capture when using steam methane reforming for hydrogen production

This paper presents a techno-economic assessment of adding state-of-the-art solvent-based CO 2 capture technologies to greenfield steam methane reforming (SMR)-based H 2 production plants and quantifies the impacts of improvements in CO 2 capture technology. Current conventional capture technologies are reviewed, and future technologies in intermediate and long-term scenarios are analyzed. The results show that adding significantly more efficient solvent-based capture technologies leads to an equivalent rate of natural gas consumption as that of a conventional SMR plant without capture, despite capturing most of the CO 2 and producing the same amount of H 2 . Overall, improvements in reboiler duty and reductions in capital costs can significantly reduce the cost of H 2 production and cost of capture. Particularly, the reboiler duty of pre-combustion capture and the capital cost of post-combustion capture have the greatest impact. Based on the results, research goals are suggested. Solvent development is recommended—particularly pre-combustion solvents—for reducing the reboiler duties, and process schemes to reduce the capital costs. Costlier but more efficient solvents can be considered. A sensitivity analysis using natural gas price shows that technological improvements can reduce the impacts of high natural gas prices. The degree of economic feasibility of CO 2 capture increases with improvements to the capture technology.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Low-temperature oxidation of methane and methanol on iridium oxides

Iridium oxides (IrO 2 ) are of significant interest for low-temperature oxidation of small molecules such as CH 4 and CH 3 OH, although the physical origin of their high activity remains under debate. Here, we demonstrate that the enhanced activity of IrO 2 arises from the formation of coordinatively unsaturated (CUS) oxygen species. By combining ambient-pressure X-ray spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations, we present evidence for the formation of CUS oxygen during CH 4 and CH 3 OH oxidation. Such surface speciation correlates with the conversion of methane to carbon dioxide and methanol to methyl formate on rutile IrO 2 and hydrous IrO 2 powder catalysts in a plug-flow reactor at room temperature. These findings extend the understanding of the physical origin of the higher activity of iridium oxide thin-film catalysts to powder catalysts and provide insights into the tuneability of iridium-oxide-containing catalysts for low-temperature C–H and O–H bond activation.

AP-XPS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Heterogeneous and Framework-Bound Copper Species Contribute to Catalytic Partial Methane Oxidation in Cu–Chabazite Zeolites

The relationship between continuous partial methane oxidation (PMO) rates and Cu site speciation in Cu-CHA zeolite catalysts is explored through differential rate measurements across a series of samples of varying compositions combined with density functional theory, first-principles thermodynamics, and statistical models that characterize Cu speciation. Under continuous PMO conditions (573 K, 0.07 kPa O 2 , 3 kPa H 2 O), Cu ions are shown to anchor to the CHA framework in both monomeric (Z 2 Cu and Z 2 CuH 2 O) and dimeric (O- and OH-bridged Cu) forms that are sensitive to the identity of the local framework anchoring site. Consequently, across the studied compositional range, Cu-CHA catalysts are predicted to contain a mixture of monomeric and dimeric Cu sites. Cu-normalized CH 3 OH formation rates extrapolated to zero conversion reflect contributions from multiple site types. Predicted CH 3 OH formation rates indicate that the Cu site reactivity toward CH 4 is influenced by zeolite composition and is likely limited by the reduction half-cycle.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Microbial Ecology and Site Characteristics Underlie Differences in Salinity-Methane Relationships in Coastal Wetlands

Methane (CH 4 ) is a potent greenhouse gas emitted by archaea in anaerobic environments such as wetland soils. Tidal freshwater wetlands are predicted to become increasingly saline as sea levels rise due to climate change. Previous work has shown that increases in salinity generally decrease CH 4 emissions, but with considerable variation, including instances where salinization increased CH 4 flux. We measured microbial community composition, biogeochemistry, and CH 4 flux from field samples and lab experiments from four different sites across a wide geographic range. We sought to assess how site differences and microbial ecology affect how CH 4 emissions are influenced by salinization. CH 4 flux was generally, but not always, positively correlated with CO 2 flux, soil carbon, ammonium, phosphate, and pH. Methanogen guilds were positively correlated with CH 4 flux across all sites, while methanotroph guilds were both positively and negatively correlated with CH 4 depending on site. There was mixed support for negative relationships between CH 4 fluxes and concentrations of alternative electron acceptors and abundances of taxa that reduce them. CH 4 /salinity relationships ranged from negative, to neutral, to positive and appeared to be influenced by site characteristics such as pH and plant composition, which also likely contributed to site differences in microbial communities. The activity of site-specific microbes that may respond differently to low-level salinity increases is likely an important driver of CH 4 /salinity relationships. Our results suggest several factors that make it difficult to generalize CH 4 /salinity relationships and highlight the need for paired microbial and flux measurements across a broader range of sites.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Belowground plant allocation regulates rice methane emissions from degraded peat soils

Carbon-rich peat soils have been drained and used extensively for agriculture throughout human history, leading to significant losses of their soil carbon. One solution for rewetting degraded peat is wet crop cultivation. Crops such as rice, which can grow in water-saturated conditions, could enable agricultural production to be maintained whilst reducing CO 2 and N 2 O emissions from peat. However, wet rice cultivation can release considerable methane (CH 4 ). Water table and soil management strategies may enhance rice yield and minimize CH 4 emissions, but they also influence plant biomass allocation strategies. It remains unclear how water and soil management influences rice allocation strategies and how changing plant allocation and associated traits, particularly belowground, influence CH 4 -related processes. We examined belowground biomass (BGB), aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground:aboveground ratio (BGB:ABG), and a range of root traits (root length, root diameter, root volume, root area, and specific root length) under different soil and water treatments; and evaluated plant trait linkages to CH 4 . Rice (Oryza sativa L.) was grown for six months in field mesocosms under high (saturated) or low water table treatments, and in either degraded peat soil or degraded peat covered with mineral soil. We found that BGB and BGB:AGB were lowest in water saturated conditions where mineral soil had been added to the peat, and highest in low-water table peat soils. Furthermore, CH 4 and BGB were positively related, with BGB explaining 60% of the variation in CH 4 but only under low water table conditions. Our results suggest that a mix of low water table and mineral soil addition could minimize belowground plant allocation in rice, which could further lower CH 4 likely because root-derived carbon is a key substrate for methanogenesis. Minimizing root allocation, in conjunction with water and soil management, could be explored as a strategy for lowering CH 4 emissions from wet rice cultivation in degraded peatlands.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advancements and opportunities to improve bottom–up estimates of global wetland methane emissions

Wetlands are the single largest natural source of atmospheric methane (CH 4 ), contributing approximately 30% of total surface CH 4 emissions, and they have been identified as the largest source of uncertainty in the global CH 4 budget based on the most recent Global Carbon Project CH 4 report. High uncertainties in the bottom–up estimates of wetland CH 4 emissions pose significant challenges for accurately understanding their spatiotemporal variations, and for the scientific community to monitor wetland CH 4 emissions from space. In fact, there are large disagreements between bottom–up estimates versus top–down estimates inferred from inversion of atmospheric CH 4 concentrations. To address these critical gaps, we review recent development, validation, and applications of bottom–up estimates of global wetland CH 4 emissions, as well as how they are used in top–down inversions. These bottom–up estimates, using (1) empirical biogeochemical modeling (e.g. WetCHARTs: 125–208 TgCH 4 yr -1 ); (2) process-based biogeochemical modeling (e.g. WETCHIMP: 190 ± 39 TgCH 4 yr -1 ); and (3) data-driven machine learning approach (e.g. UpCH4: 146 ± 43 TgCH 4 yr -1 ). Bottom–up estimates are subject to significant uncertainties (~80 Tg CH 4 yr -1 ), and the ranges of different estimates do not overlap, further amplifying the overall uncertainty when combining multiple data products. These substantial uncertainties highlight gaps in our understanding of wetland CH 4 biogeochemistry and wetland inundation dynamics. Major tropical and arctic wetland complexes are regional hotspots of CH 4 emissions. However, the scarcity of satellite data over the tropics and northern high latitudes offer limited information for top–down inversions to improve bottom–up estimates. Recent advances in surface measurements of CH 4 fluxes (e.g. FLUXNET-CH 4 ) across a wide range of ecosystems including bogs, fens, marshes, and forest swamps provide an unprecedented opportunity to improve existing bottom–up estimates of wetland CH 4 estimates. We suggest that continuous long-term surface measurements at representative wetlands, high fidelity wetland mapping, combined with an appropriate modeling framework, will be needed to significantly improve global estimates of wetland CH 4 emissions. There is also a pressing unmet need for fine-resolution and high-precision satellite CH 4 observations directed at wetlands.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hydrology controls thermokarst and alters carbon cycling and methane emissions in peatlands near the southern limit of permafrost

Permafrost peatlands store vast amounts of frozen carbon across northern landscapes. When ground ice melts, surface subsidence produces thermokarst landforms that expand wetlands at the edges of permafrost plateaus. Thermokarst represents an accelerating climate feedback, but uncertainties remain about how ground ice, hydrology, and vegetation interact to shape landscape change and carbon fluxes. We extended the process-based model ecosys to simulate thermokarst dynamics in laterally coupled 2D transects at a well-characterized boreal peatland site in Canada’s Northwest Territories. After benchmarking against site observations, we varied ground ice content and hydrologic boundary conditions across ranges typical near the southern permafrost limit. Simulations revealed distinct degradation regimes governed by the elevation difference between the frost table and the external water table. Rates of lateral retreat, the thaw-driven encroachment of wetlands into adjacent plateaus, ranged from 0 to >2 m yr −1 under identical weather forcing, consistent with observations and highlighting the strong role of WT and ground ice. Simulated vegetation dynamics indicate that black spruce mortality cannot be explained by anoxia alone, pointing to additional stressors such as root damage, pathogens, or physical destabilization. Despite large hydrologic shifts, net ecosystem CO 2 exchange remained a slight sink after collapse, while methane (CH 4 ) emissions rose by one to two orders of magnitude. As a result, lateral retreat substantially increases the greenhouse warming potential of permafrost peatlands (1.7 million km 2 in area), with simulated emissions of 0.1–10 Mt CO 2 -eq decade −1 depending on hydrology and retreat rates. These results underscore the need to account for both ground ice and hydrologic dynamics when assessing thermokarst-driven climate feedbacks.

carbon cycling↗
DOE OSTI2024

Methane fluxes in tidal marshes of the conterminous United States

Abstract Methane (CH 4 ) is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) with atmospheric concentrations that have nearly tripled since pre‐industrial times. Wetlands account for a large share of global CH 4 emissions, yet the magnitude and factors controlling CH 4 fluxes in tidal wetlands remain uncertain. We synthesized CH 4 flux data from 100 chamber and 9 eddy covariance (EC) sites across tidal marshes in the conterminous United States to assess controlling factors and improve predictions of CH 4 emissions. This effort included creating an open‐source database of chamber‐based GHG fluxes ( https://doi.org/10.25573/serc.14227085 ). Annual fluxes across chamber and EC sites averaged 26 ± 53 g CH 4 m −2 year −1 , with a median of 3.9 g CH 4 m −2 year −1 , and only 25% of sites exceeding 18 g CH 4 m −2 year −1 . The highest fluxes were observed at fresh‐oligohaline sites with daily maximum temperature normals (MATmax) above 25.6°C. These were followed by frequently inundated low and mid‐fresh‐oligohaline marshes with MATmax ≤25.6°C, and mesohaline sites with MATmax >19°C. Quantile regressions of paired chamber CH 4 flux and porewater biogeochemistry revealed that the 90th percentile of fluxes fell below 5 ± 3 nmol m −2 s −1 at sulfate concentrations >4.7 ± 0.6 mM, porewater salinity >21 ± 2 psu, or surface water salinity >15 ± 3 psu. Across sites, salinity was the dominant predictor of annual CH 4 fluxes, while within sites, temperature, gross primary productivity (GPP), and tidal height controlled variability at diel and seasonal scales. At the diel scale, GPP preceded temperature in importance for predicting CH 4 flux changes, while the opposite was observed at the seasonal scale. Water levels influenced the timing and pathway of diel CH 4 fluxes, with pulsed releases of stored CH 4 at low to rising tide. This study provides data and methods to improve tidal marsh CH 4 emission estimates, support blue carbon assessments, and refine national and global GHG inventories.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Rising Water Levels and Vegetation Shifts Drive Substantial Reductions in Methane Emissions and Carbon Dioxide Uptake in a Great Lakes Coastal Freshwater Wetland

ABSTRACT Coastal freshwater wetlands are critical ecosystems for both local and global carbon cycles, sequestering substantial carbon while also emitting methane (CH 4 ) due to anoxic conditions. Estuarine freshwater wetlands face unique challenges from fluctuating water levels, which influence water quality, vegetation, and carbon cycling. However, the response of CH 4 fluxes and their drivers to altered hydrology and vegetation remains unclear, hindering mechanistic modeling. To address these knowledge gaps, we studied an estuarine freshwater wetland in the Great Lakes region, where rising water levels led to a vegetation shift from emergent Typha dominance in 2015–2016 to floating‐leaved species in 2020–2022. Using eddy covariance flux measurements during the peak growing season (June–September) of both periods, we observed a 60% decrease in CH 4 emissions, from 81 ± 4 g C m −2 in 2015–2016 to 31 ± 3 g C m −2 in 2020–2022. This decline was driven by two main factors: (1) higher water levels, which suppressed ebullitive fluxes via increased hydrostatic pressure and extended CH 4 residence time, enhancing oxidation potential in the water column; and (2) reduced CH 4 conductance through plants. Net carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) uptake decreased by 90%, from −267 ± 26 g C m −2 in 2015–2016 to −27 ± 49 g C m −2 in 2020–2022. Additionally, diel CH 4 flux patterns shifted, with a distinct morning peak observed in 2015–2016 but absent in 2020–2022, suggesting changes in plant‐mediated transport and a potential decoupling from photosynthesis. The dominant factors influencing CH 4 fluxes shifted from water temperature and gross primary productivity in 2015–2016 to atmospheric pressure in 2020–2022, suggesting an increased role of ebullition as a primary transport pathway. Our results demonstrate that changes in water levels and vegetation can substantially alter CH 4 and CO 2 fluxes in coastal freshwater wetlands, underscoring the critical role of hydrological shifts in driving carbon dynamics in these ecosystems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multi‐Decadal Dynamics of Wetland Methane Emissions Revealed by Knowledge‐Guided Machine Learning

Measurement of methane fluxes (FCH 4 ) from natural systems, such as wetlands, has lagged far behind carbon dioxide fluxes. Short and fragmented wetland FCH 4 data limit our ability to assess its long-term dynamics and potential climate feedbacks. Extrapolating short-term FCH 4 records to recent decades remains challenging for both process-based models and data-driven machine learning (ML) approaches. Here, we develop a knowledge-guided ML framework that integrates eddy covariance (EC) FCH 4 observations, field warming experiments, and biogeochemical knowledge to reconstruct the long-term FCH 4 budgets and trends. Focusing on the 11 longest EC monitoring sites in the AmeriFlux network, we found considerable variability in multi-decadal trends of wetland FCH 4 , with increases up to 14% per decade from 2000 to 2024. We also found that the strength of these increasing trends declines from high to low latitudes, highlighting the vulnerability of northern wetlands. This work presents novel and robust reconstructions of long-term wetland FCH 4 , offering critical benchmark datasets for bottom-up ecosystem models and advancing fundamental understanding of wetland biogeochemistry.

AmeriFlux site↗
DOE OSTI2025

Gap-filled methane and carbon dioxide fluxes across two ecosystem states at the US-OWC AmeriFlux site (2015−2016, 2020−2022)

This dataset contains gap-filled measurements of methane flux (FCH4), net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) partitioned into gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (RE), as well as latent heat flux (LE) from a Great Lakes coastal freshwater wetland at the US-OWC AmeriFlux site. The dataset covers the peak growing seasons (June−September) of 2015−2016, dominated by Typha spp., and 2020−2022, characterized by floating-leaved species (lotus and water lily). These data were generated to investigate how rising water levels and vegetation shifts influence CH4 and CO2 fluxes across two distinct ecosystem states in this wetland. The dataset, provided in CSV format, includes half-hourly gap-filled flux data from June to September for 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The gap-filled data refers to measurements where missing values due to instrument issues or quality control were filled using artificial neural networks (ANNs).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Warming amplifies the variability of methane emissions from a coastal wetland, 2025, Maryland.

These data accompany the published paper Lewis et al., 202X and are from a brackish coastal wetland in situ soil warming experiment (GENX) equipped with automated flux chambers. Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes were measured in 12 automated chambers using custom-built automated chambers connected to an LI-7810 CH4/CO2 analyzer. The chambers are 1.5 m tall and contain the dominant vegetation species of the site (Schoenoplectus americanus, Spartina patens, and Distichlis spicata). The chambers are also distributed across a soil warming gradient, ranging from ambient to 6°C above ambient, that was started in February 2022. This dataset contains the following files: (1) CH4 and CO2 fluxes from each chamber for March to November 2025, statistics for each flux, and environmental data (water depth, salinity, air temperature) at the time of the flux measurement; (2) 15-minute soil temperature data for each chamber; (3) Aboveground vegetation biomass (total and by species) and stem counts and dimensions for S. americanus; (4) Elevation for each chamber. All data processing code is available on Github.

Coastal wetland↗
DOE OSTI2024

Reduction of Methane Leaks through Corrosion Mitigation Pre-treatments for Pipelines with Field Applied Coatings

Corrosion of buried, coated steel pipelines transporting natural gas is a significant source of methane emissions, from pipeline venting required for maintenance and repairs and from pipeline leaks and incidents. Corrosion of steel under field applied coatings is an important safety concern for the pipeline industry. This project investigates the application of a field applied alloy over girth welds to mitigate external corrosion of buried coated steel pipelines. Various metallic coating options were considered, which were required to meet several criteria: (1) it must resist corrosion under open-circuit or mild cathodic protection conditions, (2) it must protect the substrate steel, and (3) it must not negatively affect the adhesion of the field coating. Finite element models and lab testing were performed of alloy coating compositions to identify promising alloy types underneath disbonded coatings. Polarization curves of coating alloys were generated to provide the boundary conditions for the COMSOL model to compute potential and current distributions around coated areas. Sacrificial and corrosion-resistant metal alloy coatings were evaluated and optimized using corrosion modeling and laboratory electrochemical testing, where aluminum alloy 5356 (5% Mg) and steel alloy B9 (9% Cr) were selected. Corrosion test coupons were designed and fabricated using thermal spray aluminum 5356 and welded B9 steel overlays on API 5L grade X42 line pipe steel. The corrosion test coupons, with simulated pipe coating damage, were tested in a laboratory soil box and a field pipeline site in Texas for 3-months. Corrosion test coupons were then tested for 6-months at field pipeline sites in Texas and Tennessee to quantify corrosion rates and performance of the aluminum and steel alloys under polyethylene tape and 2-part epoxy coatings, various coating holidays, and with and without cathodic protection.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Integrated Methane Monitoring Platform Design

This report presents design plans for integrated methane monitoring platforms for the oil and gas sector, which include satellites, aircrafts, drones, mobile platforms, open-path systems, sensor networks, LDAR techniques, and other systems.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Microwave-Assisted Activation of Mo/HZSM5 in Methane Dehydroaromatization

Natural gas flaring is a significant challenge for oil and gas producers. One viable option to mitigate flaring is the conversion of natural gas into valuable chemicals. Applying microwave energy to heterogenous catalyst materials offers advantages in terms of higher rates and product selectivities in comparison to traditional thermal systems which can be designed for on-demand chemical production in modular reactor systems. Methane dehydroaromatization (MDHA) produces transportable, liquid aromatic products directly from natural gas, which is ideal for remote production but is hindered by low thermodynamic yields and rapid deactivation. The stability and performance of the Mo/ZSM5 catalyst is often determined by the state and nature of Mo in the catalyst, which in turn is dictated by the temperature and gaseous environment during catalyst activation. In this study, the Mo/HZSM5 catalyst was activated under three different heating modes (thermal, microwave E-field, and microwave H-field) and four different gas environments (CO, He, CH4+H2, and H2). All the activated catalysts were characterized using different tools and performance evaluated in MDHA.

methane dehydroaromatization↗