A breakthrough reactor designed by University of Michigan engineers effectively converts natural gas into propylene, appealing significant cost savings in the production of necessary industrial and customer products.A brand-new way to make a crucial active ingredient for plastics, adhesives, carpet fibers, home cleaners, and more from natural gas could reduce manufacturing expenses in a post-petroleum economy by millions of dollars, thanks to a brand-new chemical reactor designed by University of Michigan engineers.The reactor creates propylene, a workhorse chemical that is also utilized to make a long list of industrial chemicals, including ingredients for nitrile rubber found in automobile hose pipes and seals as well as blue protective gloves. Many propylene utilized today comes from oil refineries, which gather it as a by-product of refining crude oil into gasoline.As oil and fuel fall out of vogue in favor of natural gas, solar, and wind energy, the production of propylene and other oil-derived products might fall below the existing need without brand-new ways to make them.The Challenge of Producing PropyleneNatural gas drawn out from shale holds one prospective alternative to propylene sourced from crude oil. Its abundant in gas, which resembles propylene closely adequate to be an appealing precursor material, but existing methods to make propylene from natural gas are still too ineffective to bridge the space in supply and demand.The innermost tube of the reactor splits gas into hydrogen gas and propylene and allows the hydrogen gas to leave into the outermost shell of the reactor.
A breakthrough reactor designed by University of Michigan engineers effectively transforms natural gas into propylene, promising significant cost savings in the production of necessary commercial and consumer products.A brand-new way to make a crucial active ingredient for plastics, adhesives, carpet fibers, home cleaners, and more from natural gas might lower manufacturing expenses in a post-petroleum economy by millions of dollars, thanks to a new chemical reactor created by University of Michigan engineers.The reactor develops propylene, a workhorse chemical that is likewise used to make a long list of industrial chemicals, including active ingredients for nitrile rubber found in automobile hoses and seals as well as blue protective gloves. Most propylene used today comes from oil refineries, which gather it as a byproduct of refining unrefined oil into gasoline.As oil and gas fall out of style in favor of natural gas, solar, and wind energy, the production of propylene and other oil-derived items could fall below the existing demand without new ways to make them.The Challenge of Producing PropyleneNatural gas drawn out from shale holds one prospective option to propylene sourced from unrefined oil. Its abundant in gas, which resembles propylene carefully enough to be an appealing precursor product, however current approaches to make propylene from natural gas are still too ineffective to bridge the gap in supply and demand.The innermost tube of the reactor divides gas into hydrogen gas and propylene and enables the hydrogen gas to escape into the outer shell of the reactor.
