MIT chemical engineers have developed a new catalyst that can convert methane into useful polymers, offering a potential solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Methane, though less abundant, is more impactful than carbon dioxide in terms of global warming potential. The newly designed catalyst operates at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, making deployment easier at methane production sites like power plants and cattle barns. This hybrid catalyst combines a zeolite with an enzyme, producing formaldehyde from methane through a two-step reaction, which can then be used to create polymers. These polymers can act as sealants in natural gas pipes or accumulate on surfaces exposed to methane. The researchers envision using this catalyst to create urea-formaldehyde from formaldehyde and urea, highlighting a scalable and cost-effective approach to methane reduction.