Enhanced Methanol Yields from the Direct Partial Oxidation of Methane in a Simulated Countercurrent Moving Bed Chromatographic Reactor

Abstract

A laboratory-scale simulated countercurrent moving bed chromatographic reactor (SCMCR) for the direct, homogeneous partial oxidation of methane to methanol has been constructed and tested. Reaction conditions were evaluated from independent experiments with a single-pass tubular reactor. Separation was effected by gas-liquid partition chromatography with 10% Carbowax on Supelcoport. At the optimal reaction conditions of 477 °C, 100 atm, and feed methane-to-oxygen ratio of 16, the methane conversion in the SCMCR was 50%, the methanol selectivity was 50%, and the methanol yield was 25%. Factors affecting methane conversion were investigated. Possible ways to improve the methane conversion, and hence the methanol yield, are discussed.

Partial oxidation of methane using a microscale non-equilibrium plasma reactor

“…Detailed mechanistic studies that involve labeled molecules with isotopic atoms are possible [28,29], but they are beyond the scope of the present study. [5,7,30] and DBD [21]. Reaction conditions in thermochemical methods were 300-600 8C and 0.1-6 MPa.…”

“…Maximum methane conversion is limited by 10% unless the initial oxygen amount is increased. Multiple recycling of the remaining feedstock is a reasonable method to increase the yield of oxygenates [7], but such a process requires a rather complicated system. Non-thermal plasma reaches higher methane conversion at ambient temperature, but its selectivity is not as high as in the thermochemical method: there is a clear trade-off between methane conversion and selectivity of oxygenates.…”

“…Unfortunately, that process requires large amounts of toxic chemicals, such as H 2 SO 4 , and 2.5 h reaction time. Bjorklund and Carr [7] reported a 25% methanol yield from a multi-recycling reaction system. However, its one-pass methanol yield could not exceed 4%.…”

Post‐Plasma Catalysis for Methane Partial Oxidation to Methanol: Role of the Copper‐Promoted Iron Oxide Catalyst

“…To deliver these reserves to the market, conversion of methane to a compound such as methanol that is easier to transport and store is desirable. The direct methane-air partial oxidation to methanol (MPOM) reaction is a leading method for this conversion [1]. Although this reaction has been extensively investigated since the beginning of the 20th century, the high stability of the C-H bond in methane has typically required extreme reaction conditions, such as high temperatures (400-1000°C) and pressure (> 10 atm) for conversion to methanol which limits industrial applications for the process [2,3].…”

Simulated moving‐bed reactor: Reactive–separation regions

“…The laboratory-scale SMBR has been used effectively to carry equilibrium-limited reversible reaction in the liquid phase, such as esterifications, [3][4][5][6][7] etherifications, 8 alkylations, 9 and acetalization 10 ; as well as gas-phase reactions: hydrogenations, 11,12 partial oxidation of methane, 13 and oxidative coupling of methane. 11,14,15 The biochemical reactions involving sugars have been also investigated extensively, as glucose isomerization, [16][17][18][19] inversion of sucrose by enzyme invertase, [20][21][22] production of high molecular weight dextran, 21 enzymatic conversion of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate, 23 hydrolysis of lactose and maltose, 24,25 and the production of lactosucrose.…”