High-performing catalyst uncovered

Method devised for making large quantities of georgeite with unprecedented ability as a catalyst to produce hydrogen from water. An extremely rare mineral, found only in two locations around the world, including an old copper mine in Snowdonia , has been manufactured in large quantities for the very first time by researchers at Cardiff. Largely neglected up until now, the manufactured mineral, known as georgeite, has shown remarkable catalytic properties and could lead to improved methods for manufacturing some of the most important products in the chemical industry. The team, based at the Cardiff Catalysis Institute, has shown that georgeite is an extremely efficient catalyst in the process used to produce hydrogen from water, which is an essential ingredient used to manufacture methanol and ammonia, which form the basis of hundreds of chemicals including fuels, plastics, paints, solvents and fertiliser. Georgeite belongs to a family of minerals known as copper hydroxycarbonates that are widely used as catalysts in the chemical industry. Whilst researchers are familiar with other minerals in this group, such as malachite, aurichalcite and rosasite, little is known about georgeite due to its exceptional rarity, low purity, instability and highly disordered nature. For the first time, the team have successfully synthesised georgeite in the lab in large quantities and in its purest form - in nature it is only found as impure deposits.