Methane Conversion Assisted by Plasma or Electric Field

Direct conversion of methane to other valuable products such as ethylene, methanol, benzene, carbon, hydrogen, and syngas has been widely investigated. Such conversion requires high temperatures because of the strong C-H bond in CH4, and such high-temperature reactions present various problems: sequential reaction to decrease the selectivity to target products, need for multiple heat exchangers to use or recover high-temperature waste heat, materials that are stable at high temperatures, etc. To solve these problems, several trials have been undertaken to lower reaction temperatures using plasma, Non-Faradaic Electrochemical Modification of Catalytic Activity (NEMCA), and electric fields. This review describes recent trends in methane conversion, and describes our methods to lower the reaction temperature.