Production of Methane by Catalytic Decarboxylation of Methyl Formate as a Liquid Surrogate

Abstract

Methane is a widely utilized molecule, primarily sourced from fossil fuels, and it finds numerous applications in the energy sector. More sustainable sources of methane include the conversion of organic wastes or gaseous CO₂. An alternative would be to use a sustainable C₁ intermediate that is able to form methane. To this end, this work demonstrates the utilization of methyl formate as a liquid surrogate for methane, and its selective decomposition by catalytic decarboxylation. This reaction exhibited excellent yields, exceeding 90%, and the method can be expanded to produce several alkanes from alkyl formates.