Selective photo-oxidation of methane to formic acid guided by visible light and FeCl3

• Grant number: 24/15274-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Ivo Freitas Teixeira
• Grantee: Mariana Baptista Marques
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/14741-6 - Graphitic carbon nitrides as platforms for single-atom photocatalysis: moving towards design principles for improved performance, AP.JP

Abstract

Global warming is a crucial issue today, and the scientific community is committed to developing alternatives to mitigate its impact. Methane (CH4) is the second most abundant greenhouse gas, with an impact on global warming nearly 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO2). Traditionally, the use of methane as an industrial raw material requires extreme temperature and pressure conditions, such as in steam methane reforming and the Fischer-Tropsch process. A promising approach to mitigating the impact of methane is selective oxidation, transforming it into higher value-added chemical products through C-H bond activation. However, the high energy barrier of this bond makes its activation a significant challenge. In this context, photocatalysis stands out as an effective alternative route, capable of selectively converting methane into other desired compounds under milder temperature and pressure conditions compared to traditional catalytic reactions. Recently, the potential of iron chloride (FeCl3) as a photocatalyst has been revisited, demonstrating high efficiency in the selective oxidation of C-H bonds. Therefore, this project aims to investigate the use of FeCl3 as a homogeneous catalyst to promote the selective oxidation of methane. Preliminary tests conducted by our group have shown that this photocatalyst can convert methane into formic acid under irradiation. Thus, the main objectives of this project include optimizing the reaction conditions, quantifying the liquid and gaseous products, and investigating the reaction mechanism.