Ch4

[budullewraagh]

ever notice how at land fills a great amount of CH4 is burned all the time? that's such a waste.

 

CH4 can't undergo condensation polymerization since it's the same compound and can't donate an OH.

CH4 can't undergo addition polymerization because it isn't an alkene or alkyne.

 

still, shouldn't there be a way to do something like;

 

CH4(n)->C8H18(n/8)+H2(n/2)

 

of course, it would be difficult controling how much polymerization occurs, but still, couldn't the CH4 be used to produce useful fuels?

[wolfson]

Interestingly enough, we can make "natural gas" from biomass now by bacterial action, much as it must have been made millions of years ago when it was stored in the earth. Unfortunately, when we do this, we get two-thirds CH4 and one-third CO2 with the result that the favourable 4/1 hydrogen-carbon ratio of CH4 by itself drops to 2.7, not far from that of petroleum. Nevertheless, this method of disposing of waste biomass, if the gas is recovered and used to replace fossil fuels, is far preferable to letting the waste decompose uselessly to CH4 and CO2 vented to the air. Much of our natural gas resource as produced today contains varying amounts of CO2, which verifies the probable origin of natural gas. It is of further interest to note that methanol can be made easily from biogas and that part of the CO2 is used to produce a higher yield of methanol.

 

(Ref:App2002)