Breakthrough in fight against greenhouse gases

Against the backdrop of the energy transition and the fight against climate change, a study conducted by Politecnico di Milano’s Department of Energy heralds in new ways of using greenhouse gases. Blazoned on the front cover of the prestigious scientific journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, the research offers a new key to understanding how to improve the efficiency of processes that convert greenhouse gases into energy resources and reduce the impact of methane and CO₂, two greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

The research team headed by Prof. Matteo Maestri studied the Dry Reforming, a chemical process that converts methane and carbon dioxide, two of the main greenhouse gases, into a synthesis gas that is used both in hydrogen production and in many sectors of the chemical and energy industries. Using supported metal nanoparticles as catalysts, the Dry Reforming process enables high conversions, accelerating the necessary chemical reactions.

However, one of the main obstacles to a more widespread application of this process is the build-up of carbon on the surface of the catalysts, a phenomenon that reduces their efficiency and makes them less suitable for large-scale use. Using operando Raman spectroscopy, an advanced technique that allows catalysts to be studied in real time during chemical reactions, the team discovered that the gradual formation of carbon is closely related to the ratio of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to methane (CH₄) present in the reaction.