Recent Progress in Direct Partial Oxidation of Methane to Methanol

The direct conversion of methane to methanol has attracted a great deal of attention for nearly a century since it was first found possible in 1902, and it is still a challenging task. This review article describes recent advancements in the direct partial oxidation of methane to methanol. The history of direct oxidation of methane and the difficulties encountered in the partial oxidation of methane to methanol are briefly summarized. Recently reported developments in gas-phase homogeneous oxidation, heterogeneous catalytic oxidation and liquid phase homogeneous catalytic oxidation of methane axe reviewed.     

CeO2 as the Oxygen Carrier for Partial Oxidation of Methane to Synthesis Gas in Molten Salts： Thermodynamic Analysis and Experimental Investigation

A new technique -- the direct partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas using lattice oxygen in molten salts medium has been introduced. Using CeO2 as the oxygen carrier, thermodynamic data were calculated in the reaction process, and the results indicated that direct partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas using lattice oxygen of cerium oxide is feasible in theory. In a stainless steel reactor, the effects of temperature and varying amounts of γ-Al2O3 supported CeO2 on cn4 conversion, H2 and CO selectivity, were investigated, respectively. The results show that 10% CeO2/γ-Al2O3 has the maximal reaction activity at a temperature of 865 ℃ and above, the H2/CO ratio in the gas that has been produced reaches 2 and the CH4 conversion, H2 and CO selectivity reached the following percentages： i.e. 61%, 89%, and 91% at 870 ℃, respectively. In addition, increase of reaction temperature is favorable for the partial oxidation of methane.     

DIRECT CONVERSION OF METHANE TO METHANOL——THE EFFECT OF SENSITIZERS ON THE YIELD OF METHANOL AND THE KINETIC STUDY

The partial oxidation of methane to methanol was studied. The effectof various homogeneous "sensitizers" on the oxidation of pure methane was e-valuated at 433℃ and under a pressure of 5.0MPa. It was found that CH_3NO_2was the best one among them. A kinetic study in the presence of CH_3NO_2 wascarried out and the reaction mechanism was discussed.     

Partial oxidation of simulated hot coke oven gas to syngas over Ru-Ni/Mg（Al）O catalyst in a ceramic membrane reactor

Hydrogen amplification from simulated hot coke oven gas (HCOG) was investigated in a BaCo0.7Fe0.2Nb0.1O3−δ (BCFNO) membrane reactor combined with a Ru-Ni/Mg(Al)O catalyst by the partial oxidation of hydrocarbon compounds under atmospheric pressure. Under optimized reaction conditions, the dense oxygen permeable membrane had an oxygen permeation flux around 13.3 ml/(cm2·min). By reforming of the toluene and methane, the amount of H2 in the reaction effluent gas was about 2 times more than that of original H2 in simulated HCOG. The Ru-Ni/Mg(Al)O catalyst used in the membrane reactor possessed good catalytic activity and resistance to coking. After the activity test, a small amount of whisker carbon was observed on the used catalyst, and most of them could be removed in the hydrogen-rich atmosphere, implying that the carbon deposition formed on the catalyst might be a reversible process.     

Syngas production by combined carbon dioxide reforming and partial oxidation of methane over Ni/α-Al_2O_3 catalysts

Ni/α-Al2O3 catalysts were found to be active in the temperature range 600 ～ 900℃ for both CO2 reforming and partial oxidation of methane.The effects of Ni loading,reaction temperature and feed gas ratio for the combination of CO2 reforming and partial oxidation of CH4 over Ni/α-Al2O3 were investigated.Catalysts of xwt%Ni/α-Al2O3(x=2.5,5,8 and 12) were prepared by wet impregnating the calcined support with a solution of nickel nitrate.XRD patterns and activity tests have verified that the 5wt%Ni/α-Al2O3 was the most active catalyst,as compared with the other prepared catalyst samples.An increase of the Ni loading to more than 5wt% led to a reduction in the Ni dispersion.In addition,by combining the endothermic carbon dioxide reforming reaction with the exothermic partial oxidation reaction,the loss of catalyst activity with time on stream was reduced with the amount of oxygen added to the feed.     

A Study on the Kinetics of the Catalytic Reforming Reaction of CH4 with CO2： Determination of the Reaction Order

The kinetics of the catalytic reforming reaction of methane with carbon dioxide to produce synthesis gas on a Ni/(α-A1203 and a HSD-2 type commercial catalyst has been studied. The results indicate that the reaction orders are one and zero for methane and carbon dioxide, respectively, when the carbon dioxide partial pressure was about 12.5-30.0 kPa and the temperature was at 1123-1173 K. However, when the carbon dioxide partial pressure was changed to 30.0-45.0 kPa under the same temperature range of 1123-1173 K, the reaction orders of methane and carbon dioxide are one. Furthermore, average rate constants at different temperatures were determined.     

Thermodynamic analysis of combined reforming process using Gibbs energy minimization method: In view of solid carbon formation

Thermodynamic analysis was applied to study combined partial oxidation and carbon dioxide reforming of methane in view of carbon formation. The equilibrium calculations employing the Gibbs energy minimization were performed upon wide ranges of pressure (1-25 atm), temperature (600-1300 K), carbon dioxide to methane ratio (0-2) and oxygen to methane ratio (0-1). The thermodynamic results were compared with the results obtained over a Ru supported catalyst. The results revealed that by increasing the reaction pressure methane conversion decreased. Also it was found that the atmospheric pressure is the preferable pressure for both dry reforming and partial oxidation of methane and increasing the temperature caused increases in both activity of carbon and conversion of methane. The results clearly showed that the addition of O 2 to the feed mixture could lead to a reduction of carbon deposition.     

The Effect of Nb Loading on Catalytic Properties of Ni/Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 Catalyst for Methane Partial Oxidation

In this study,the effect of Nb loading on the catalytic activity of Ce_(0.75)Zr_(0.25)O_2-supported Ni catalysts was studied for methane partial oxidation.The catalysts were characterized by BET,H_2 chemisorption,XRD,TPR,TEM and tested for methane partial oxidation to syngas in the temperature range of 400-800℃at atmospheric pressure.The results showed that the activity of methane partial oxidation on the catalysts was apparently dependent on Nb loading.It seemed that the addition of Nb lowered the catalytic activity for methane partial oxidation and increased the extent of carbon deposition. This might be due to the strong interaction between NiO and Nb-modified support and reduction of surface oxygen reducibility.     

Syngas production by combined carbon dioxide reforming and partial oxidation of methane over Ni/α-Al2O3 catalysts

Ni/α-Al2O3 catalysts were found to be active in the temperature range 600~900 ℃ for both CO2 reforming and partial oxidation of methane. The effects of Ni loading, reaction temperature and feed gas ratio for the combination of CO2 reforming and partial oxidation of CH4 over Ni/α-Al2O3 were investigated. Catalysts of xwt%Ni/α-Al2O3 (x = 2.5, 5, 8 and 12) were prepared by wet impregnating the calcined support with a solution of nickel nitrate. XRD patterns and activity tests have verified that the 5wt%Ni/α-Al2O3 was the most active catalyst, as compared with the other prepared catalyst samples. An increase of the Ni loading to more than 5 wt% led to a reduction in the Ni dispersion. In addition, by combining the endothermic carbon dioxide reforming reaction with the exothermic partial oxidation reaction, the loss of catalyst activity with time on stream was reduced with the amount of oxygen added to the feed.     

Selective Oxidation of Propane by Lattice Oxygen of Vanadium-Phosphorous Oxide in a Pulse Reactor

Selective oxidation of propane by lattice oxygen of vanadium-phosphorus oxide (VPO) catalysts was investigated with a pulse reactor in which the oxidation of propane and the re-oxidation of catalyst were implemented alternately in the presence of water vapor. The principal products are acrylic acid (AA),acetic acid (HAc), and carbon oxides. In addition, small amounts of C1 and C2 hydrocarbons were also found, molar ratio of AA to HAc is 1.4-2.2. The active oxygen species are those adsorbed on catalyst surface firmly and/or bound to catalyst lattice, i.e. lattice oxygen; the selective oxidation of propane on VPO catalysts can be carried out in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) riser reactor. For propane oxidation over VPO catalysts, the effects of reaction temperature in a pulse reactor were found almost the same as in a steady-state flow reactor. That is, as the reaction temperature increases, propane conversion and the amount of C1 C2 hydrocarbons in the product increase steadily, while selectivity to acrylic acid and to acetic acid increase prior to 350℃ then begin to drop at temperatures higher than 350℃, and yields of acrylic acid and of acetic acid attained maximum at about 400℃. The maximum yields of acrylic acid and of acetic acid for a single-pass are 7.50% and 4.59% respectively, with 38.2% propane conversion. When theamount of propane pulsed decreases or the amount of catalyst loaded increases, the conversion increases but the selectivity decreases. Increasing the flow rate of carrier gases causes the conversion pass through a minimum but selectivity and yields pass through a maximum. In a fixed bed reactor, it is hard to obtainhigh selectivity at a high reaction conversion due to the further degradation of acrylic acid and acetic acid even though propane was oxidized by the lattice oxygen. The catalytic performance can be improved inthe presence of excess propane. Propylene can be oxidized by lattice oxygen of VPO catalyst at 250℃, nevertheless, selectivity to AA and to HAc are even lower, much more acetic acid was produced (molar ratio of AA to HAc is 0.19:1-0.83:1) though the oxidation products are the same as from propane.     

甲醇POSR制氢的反应网络热力学分析和有效因子的估算

在Cu/ZnO/Al2O3催化剂上对甲醇部分氧化蒸汽重整制备氢气反应的动力学过程进行了研究。在常压和473 K～1 073 K温度范围内对该反应网络中的甲醇部分氧化、甲醇蒸汽重整、甲醇分解和水煤气反应的化学平衡进行了分析。在对这些反应的催化剂Cu/ZnO/Al2O3动力学研究的基础上，根据有效因子的基本概念，考虑催化剂颗粒内的扩散限制，对每个反应沿反应器床层的有效因子进行了估算。     

含钒杂多酸催化发烟硫酸中甲烷液相部分氧化反应

 以H5PV2Mo10O40 为催化剂,在发烟硫酸中进行了甲烷液相部分氧化,考察了催化剂用量、反应温度、反应时间和发烟硫酸浓度等工艺条件对反应收率的影响. 甲烷在反应中首先转化为硫酸甲酯,硫酸甲酯随后水解为甲醇. 对于甲烷液相部分氧化反应,发烟硫酸中游离的SO3是非常重要的影响因素. 在工艺条件为催化剂用量7.0 mmol, 反应温度473 K, 反应压力3.5 MPa, 反应时间3 h和发烟硫酸中SO3含量50%时,甲烷转化率可达48.5%, 目的产物甲醇收率为41.5%.     

Isothermal Cyclic Conversion of Methane into Methanol over Copper‐Exchanged Zeolite at Low Temperature

Direct partial oxidation of methane into methanol is a cornerstone of catalysis. The stepped conversion of methane into methanol currently involves activation at high temperature and reaction with methane at decreased temperature, which limits applicability of the technique. The first implementation of copper‐containing zeolites in the production of methanol directly from methane is reported, using molecular oxygen under isothermal conditions at 200 °C. Copper‐exchanged zeolite is activated with oxygen, reacts with methane, and is subsequently extracted with steam in a repeated cyclic process. Methanol yield increases with methane pressure, enabling reactivity with less reactive oxidized copper species. It is possible to produce methanol over catalysts that were inactive in prior state of the art systems. Characterization of the activated catalyst at low temperature revealed that the active sites are small clusters of copper, and not necessarily di‐ or tricopper sites, indicating that catalysts can be designed with greater flexibility than formerly proposed.     

Methane Conversion to C2 Hydrocarbons Using Dielectric-barrier Discharge Reactor: Effects of System Variables

The partial oxidation of methane to C₂ hydrocarbons was investigated experimentally in a dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The effects of reactor wall temperature, input gas flow rate and volumetric ratio of methane to oxygen over methane conversion and C₂ production were investigated. The highest C₂ selectivity of about 50% was achieved at 1.8% methane conversion. Finally the model equations were used to correlate methane conversion and ethylene selectivity with the system variable within the studied range of them. The correlation equation shows the sole effects and interaction effects of system variables on methane conversion and ethylene selectivity.     

Ni/Al2O3催化剂上CH4三重整反应-催化剂床层温度分布

在连续流动的固定床反应装置上，考察了Ni/Al2O3催化剂上CH4三重整反应中催化剂床层的温度分布。实验在常压、750℃~950℃、2000h-1~20000h-1下进行，研究了外控炉温、空速和进料组成对催化剂床层温度分布的影响。结果表明，催化剂床层中的温度梯度较甲烷部分氧化反应平缓，在CH4/CO2/H2O/O2=50/12.5/12.5/25（摩尔比）、20000h-1下，催化剂床层中入口处温度比炉温高约80℃，出口处温度与器壁温度相当。空速越低，催化剂床层入口处温度(tmax)与炉温之差Δtmax越小(20000h-1时，Δtmax=80℃；2000h-1时，Δtmax=30℃)。当原料气中不含O2时，催化剂床层入口处没有观测到温度骤升的现象。催化剂床层温度分布出现“低谷”现象，温度最低点(tmin)比炉温低30℃~40℃。根据温度分布曲线，大体可将催化剂床层分为三个区域：富氧区、贫氧区和无氧区。富氧区内只发生燃烧反应，贫氧区内发生重整反应和部分氧化反应，无氧区内只发生重整反应。     

Rh/SiO_2催化剂上甲烷部分氧化制合成气的反应机理

采用原位Raman光谱技术,在原料气中的O2未完全耗尽的条件下,对CH4部分氧化制合成气反应的Rh/SiO2催化剂床层前部贵金属物种的化学态以及由CH4解离所生成的碳物种进行了表征.在此基础上采用脉冲反应和同位素示踪技术,比较了CH4的部分氧化及其与H2O和CO2的重整等反应对催化剂床层氧化区内CO和H2生成的相对贡献,并将实验结果与Ra-man光谱表征结果进行了关联.结果表明,在600°C下将还原后的4%Rh/SiO2催化剂切入CH4:O2:Ar=2:1:45原料气,催化剂床层前部未检测到铑氧化物的Raman谱峰,但可清晰检测到源于CH4解离的碳物种;在700°C和接触时间小于1ms的条件下,催化剂床层的氧化区内已有大量CO和H2生成,在相同的实验条件下,CH4与H2O或CO2重整反应对氧化区内合成气生成的贡献则很小;以CH4:16O2:H218O:He=2:1:2:95为原料气的同位素示踪实验结果表明,在原料气中16O2未完全耗尽的情况下,反应产物中C16O的含量占CO生成总量的92.3%,表明CO主要来自CH4的部分氧化反应.上述结果均表明,在O2存在下Rh/SiO2催化剂上CO和H2可以通过CH4直接解离和部分氧化机理生成.     

Methane Conversion to Methanol in Condensed Phase

The subject of our investigations was the oxidation process of methane to organic oxygenates. The catalytic system proposed by us in which palladium occurs in the form of palladium powder dissolved in oleum has not been described up to now. Methanol was obtained by the transformation of methane into methyl bisulfate. Subsequently, methanol was formed as a result of ester hydrolysis. The reaction temperature was varied in the range of 70–190°C; the time was changed from 1 to 20 h. The reaction products were carbon dioxide, methanol, and traces of formaldehyde. We found that the rate of ester formation depends on the partial pressure of methane, the concentration of free sulfur trioxide in sulfuric acid, and the concentration of ester itself in the reaction mixture. An equation for the rate of formation of the methyl bisulfate was proposed. The rate constants were determined by Marquardt's method.     

Contemporary Methods for the Direct Catalytic Conversion of Methane

The principal methods for the conversion of methane into useful chemical compounds are discussed. Promising methods include direct nonoxidative dehydrocondensation of methane to aromatic hydrocarbons, oxidative coupling of methane to ethylene, and partial oxidation of methane to oxygenates. In the case of the last reaction the proposed approach makes it possible to compare precisely the selective action of heterogeneous catalysts and to predict that a maximum yield will be obtained in a flow-type reactor with recycling.