Work

Towards Sustainable Green Methane: A Review of Catalysis, Process Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence Applications

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Global energy de-fossilization requires scalable solutions for extended energy storage and industrial emission reduction. Synthesizing green methane via Power-to-Gas technology offers a viable pathway to store renewable electricity while utilizing captured carbon dioxide. This review evaluates recent advancements in catalytic mechanisms, reactor engineering, artificial intelligence applications, and techno-economic and life cycle assessments of green methane production systems. Analysis shows that advanced reactor configurations effectively manage the exothermic heat of the Sabatier reaction. Furthermore, integrating machine learning algorithms accelerates catalyst discovery and enables dynamic process control under fluctuating renewable energy loads. Economic and environmental assessments indicate that the sustainability of green methane depends strictly on utilizing renewable electricity and sourcing non-fossil carbon. Commercial deployment must focus on improving catalyst stability during transient operations and implementing digital twins to establish green methane as a sustainable carbon backbone for chemical industries.

Source: Processes

DOI: 10.3390/pr14091477

Authors: Zekun Liu, Jiaze Ma, Yufei Wang

Institutions: China University of Petroleum, Beijing, City University of Hong Kong

Language: English

Topic: Catalysts for Methane Reforming

Subfield: Catalysis

Field: Chemical Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Climate action, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896