OXIDE-ION TRANSPORT FOR SELECTIVE OXIDATIVE COUPLING OF METHANE WITH NEW MEMBRANE REACTOR

Oxidative coupling of methane was conducted by using membrane reactors. The nonporous membrane film that consisted of PbO modified by alkaline or alkaline earth compound was supported on porous SiO2-Al2O3 tube. Higher hydrocarbons were successfully synthesized with high selectivity (about 90%). A kinetic analysis was conducted to clarify whether oxide ion transportation through PbO film participated in the oxidative coupling of methane. The evaluated value of the diffusion coefficient of oxide ion transport based on the methane oxidation agreed well with that of published data. The simulated gradient of the oxide ion concentration through the PbO membrane agreed well with that measured by electron probe X-ray microanalyzer. A transient response simulated by using kinetic parameters evaluated from steady-state analysis also agreed well with the experiment. These results prove the validity of the reaction model that consists of surface reactions of methane with oxide ion which is transferred from inside to outside of the membrane reactor. Alkali modifiers on the PbO membrane surface exhibited a promotional effect on the surface reaction of methane coupling. Another membrane reactor containing Bi2O3 showed higher activity than the PbO membrane.