Electrocatalytic Control of n-Alkane Dehydrogenation and C-C Bond Formation for Shale Gas Upgrading

Professor Marcel Schreier at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is studying new ways to convert United States domestic natural gas into more valuable and useful chemical products using electricity rather than heat. Natural gas, which is abundant in the United States, contains light hydrocarbons such as methane, ethane and propane that are currently difficult to upgrade into higher-value compounds without expensive, energy-intensive industrial processes. Professor Schreier's research will use electrochemical methods, essentially applying carefully controlled electrical voltages to specially designed catalysts, to break and re-form chemical bonds in these molecules at room temperature. This approach has the potential to dramatically increase the flexibility in converting natural gas to valuable products. The project will support the training of graduate and undergraduate students in cutting-edge research, incorporate new concepts in catalysis and surface chemistry into courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and engage the broader public through creative outreach activities that make invisible molecular processes accessible and tangible. By enabling more efficient use of domestic natural gas resources, this work supports United States energy security and advanced manufacturing, strengthens industrial competitiveness, and inspires the next generation of scientists and engineers. Professor Marcel Schreier at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is investigating the mechanistic steps allowing the selective conversion of natural gas compounds into higher-value hydrocarbons under ambient conditions. The research program will provide insight into how electrochemistry allows transforming natural gas compounds to valuable alkenes in a low-temperature alternative to thermal cracking. Furthermore, it will provide insight into the pathways allowing for the electrochemical manufacturing of natural gas feedstocks to chemicals such as linear alpha olefins. Across all goals, mechanistic analysis will be used to establish an understanding of the molecular basis for selectivity, with the aim of developing generally applicable principles for electrochemical hydrocarbon manufacturing. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.