Hydrogen-Permeable Tubular Membrane Reactor: Promoting Conversion and Product Selectivity for Non-Oxidative Activation of Methane over an Fe©SiO2 Catalyst

Mann Sakbodin; Yiqing Wu; Su Cheun Oh; Eric D Wachsman; Dongxia Liu

doi:10.1002/anie.201609991

Hydrogen-Permeable Tubular Membrane Reactor: Promoting Conversion and Product Selectivity for Non-Oxidative Activation of Methane over an Fe©SiO₂ Catalyst

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2016 Dec 23;55(52):16149-16152. doi: 10.1002/anie.201609991. Epub 2016 Nov 24.

Authors

Mann Sakbodin¹, Yiqing Wu¹, Su Cheun Oh¹, Eric D Wachsman^{1

2}, Dongxia Liu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
² University of Maryland Energy Research Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.

PMID: 27882641
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201609991

Abstract

Non-oxidative methane conversion over Fe©SiO₂ catalyst was studied for the first time in a hydrogen (H₂ ) permeable tubular membrane reactor. The membrane reactor is composed of a mixed ionic-electronic SrCe_0.7 Zr_0.2 Eu_0.1 O_3-δ thin film (≈20 μm) supported on the outer surface of a one-end capped porous SrCe_0.8 Zr_0.2 O_3-δ tube. Significant improvement in CH₄ conversion was achieved upon H₂ removal from the membrane reactor compared to that in a fixed-bed reactor. The Fe©SiO₂ catalyst in the H₂ permeable membrane reactor demonstrated a stable ≈30 % C₂₊ single-pass yield, with up to 30 % CH₄ conversion and 99 % selectivity to C₂ (ethylene and acetylene) and aromatic (benzene and naphthalene) products, at the tested conditions. The selectivity towards C₂ or aromatics was manipulated purposely by adding H₂ into or removing H₂ from the membrane reactor feed and permeate gas streams.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't