Solving a Global Challenge! China’s Research Team Achieves Major Breakthrough in Large-Scale Utilization of "Combustible Ice"

Recently, the Marine Clean Energy Innovation Team at Hainan University successfully resolved a
long-standing global challenge, achieving a disruptive breakthrough in the direct catalytic conversion of methane. The team developed a novel catalytic system that, with near-perfect selectivity of close to 100%, efficiently converts gaseous methane into high-value liquid fuel methanol under mild conditions. This provides a core technical solution with independent intellectual property rights for the in-situ conversion and efficient utilization of the abundant natural gas hydrate resources in the South China Sea. The related research findings were recently published in the international academic journal Nature Communications.

It is reported that this breakthrough technology achieves two major innovations: first, according to the final experimental results, the selectivity for methanol reaches as high as 99.7%, nearly achieving a "zero-loss" perfect conversion; second, the entire process requires only a low temperature of 70°C, meaning future industrial production will be safer, more energy-efficient, and more environmentally friendly, possessing extremely high commercial application potential and economic value. The "combustible ice" extracted from the depths of the South China Sea is expected to be efficiently and cost-effectively converted into clean methanol fuel locally in Hainan, significantly enhancing China’s energy security capabilities.