Methane from Carbon Dioxide

Efficient catalyst for the light-driven methanation of CO2

19-Nov-2021 - Recycling carbon dioxide (CO2), especially through conversion to methane (CH4), is compelling while anthropogenic CO2 emissions are still rising. A useful process for this transformation is photothermal methanation, in which CO2 and hydrogen are catalytically converted into CH4 and water upon ...

Fine-tuned hydrocarbon separation at low energy cost

Metal organic framework membranes that selectively separate hydrocarbons set the stage for more sustainable petrochemical processes

24-Sep-2021 - An electrochemical approach developed at KAUST produces molecular-sieving membranes that could enable a cheap energy-efficient separation of light hydrocarbons, such as olefins and paraffins. This separation, critical for the petrochemical industry, usually relies on extremely energy-intensive ...

Separating gases using flexible molecular sieves

04-Dec-2020 - Researchers at the University of Liverpool and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have made reported some exciting findings relating to metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of porous materials, which could benefit a wide range of important gas separation ...

Catalyzing a green future

Highly modular metal-organic framework-based materials show great potential for photocatalytic hydrogen production

24-Jun-2020 - A metal organic framework (MOF)-based water splitting photocatalyst, developed at KAUST, has brought researchers a step closer to generating clean hydrogen fuel using sunlight. "Using solar energy to efficiently make green fuels is the ultimate goal for many catalysis researchers," says Jorge ...

MOFs can sense and sort troublesome gases

12-Apr-2019 - From astronauts and submariners to miners and rescue workers, people who operate in small enclosed spaces need good air quality to work safely and effectively. Electronic sensors now developed by a KAUST team can simultaneously detect at least three critical parameters that are important to ...

Crystals that clean natural gas

31-Oct-2018 - Removing the troublesome impurities of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from natural gas could become simpler and more effective using a metal-organic framework (MOF) developed at KAUST. Upgrading natural gas in this way could help Saudi Arabia to make greater and cleaner use of ...

Lining MOF pockets to detect noxious gases

07-May-2018 - A porous material with tailor-made pockets stitched into its structure is a promising material for sensing noxious gases. A thin film of the material, coated onto an electrode, formed an electronic sensor that could detect traces of sulfur dioxide gas1. The sensor is a significant step toward ...

Crystal clear

22-Jan-2018 - Staff members at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) devised a methodology for the procurement of atomically resolved images of beam-sensitive materials using transmission electron microscopy. Daliang Zhang, Rachid Sougrat and Kun Li from the KAUST Core Laboratories, in ...

MOFs provide a better way to remove water from gas

22-May-2017 - The conventional view that metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) cannot be stable in water has been overturned by the development of an MOF that can selectively and effectively adsorb water to dry gas streams. "The achievement of energy efficient dehydration by our MOF is revolutionary," said Professor ...

High-sensitivity cameras reveal the atomic structure of metal-organic frameworks

27-Feb-2017 - Researchers at KAUST have developed a method for fine-scale imaging of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), three-dimensional structures made up of metal ions connected by organic ligands. MOFs are useful for gas storage and separation because they can be designed to have precise pore sizes of ...