Published On 4/22/2026
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Last update: 12:16 (Mecca time)
Researchers have found an innovative way to convert methane, the main component of natural gas, into liquid fuel in a faster and less polluting way, using what looks like miniature electric shocks inside glass tubes immersed in water.
The study, published April 15 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, offers a new approach that may help produce chemicals and fuels more efficiently, while reducing energy consumption and emissions.
Although abundant around the world, methane is difficult to convert into useful products because of the strong bonds between its atoms; This is why the industry currently relies on complex processes that go through several stages, and require very high temperatures – which may exceed 800 degrees Celsius – and high pressures, which makes them expensive and produces large amounts of carbon dioxide, according to the lead author of the study, Dane F. Swearer, assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northwestern University in the United States.
In the new method, methane is converted into methanol — an important fuel and chemical — in just one step, using electricity, water and a small amount of a catalyst, Swearer says.
How does “lightning in a tube” work?
The researcher explains in statements to Al Jazeera Net that the idea of the study depends on the use of what is known as “plasma,” which is a very active state of matter that is formed when gases are exposed to high energy, so they become filled with charged particles capable of causing rapid reactions.
To simplify the picture, the researchers generated powerful electrical pulses inside a glass tube, creating small lightning-like flashes. These “miniature lightning bolts” have enough energy to break the strong bonds in the methane molecule, without having to heat the entire system as happens in conventional plants.
Once methanol is formed, it immediately dissolves in the water surrounding the tube, which stops the reaction at this stage and prevents the reaction from continuing and turning into carbon dioxide, which is a common problem in traditional methods. The researchers also added argon gas to the system. Although it is usually known as an inert gas that does not react easily, it becomes active inside the plasma, and helps speed up the reaction and improve its efficiency.
Why is this development important?
Swearer points out that methanol is an essential material used in many industries, such as the manufacture of plastics, paints and adhesives, and is also increasingly viewed as a cleaner fuel for ships and heavy industry, because it produces fewer pollutants compared to traditional fuels.
He added: “Experiments have shown that this method achieves high efficiency in methanol production, as the selectivity rate – that is, the rate of methane being converted into the desired product instead of other undesirable products – has reached about 96.8%, which is a high percentage in this type of reaction.”
He adds that the output was not limited to methanol only, but also included other valuable materials, such as ethylene, which is used in the plastics industry, and hydrogen, which is a clean fuel in itself. The researchers believe that one of the most important advantages of this technology is the possibility of using it in small mobile units that can be transported to gas extraction sites or places where methane is leaking.
Currently, many of these leaks are dealt with by burning the gas, which turns it into carbon dioxide; But using this proposed technology, methane can instead be converted directly into liquid fuel that can be stored, transported and used, according to the research team. Although the technology is still in the research and development stage, the authors believe that it represents a new trend in the industry, relying on the use of electricity – and perhaps renewable energy in the future – instead of high heat, to produce fuels and chemicals.
