Direct partial oxidation of methane to methanol:Reaction zones and role of catalyst location

Direct partial oxidation of methane to methanol was investigated in a specially designed reactor. Methanol yield of about 7%-8% was obtained in gas phase partial oxidation. It was proposed that the reactor could be divided into three reaction zones, namely pre-reaction zone, fierce reaction zone, and post-reaction zone, when the temperature was high enough to initiate a reaction. The oxidation of methane proceeded and was completed mostly in the fierce reaction zone. When the reactant mixture entered the post-reaction zone, only a small amount of produced methanol would bring about secondary reactions, because molecular oxygen had been exhausted in the fierce reaction zone. A catalyst, if necessary, should be placed either in the pre-reaction zone, to initiate a partial oxidation reaction at a lower temperature, or in the fierce reaction zone to control the homogeneous free radical reaction.

Advances of study on atmospheric methane oxidation (consumption) in forest soil

Next to CO2, methane (CH4) is the second important contributor to global warming in the atmosphere and global atmospheric CH4 budget depends on both CH4 sources and sinks. Unsaturated soil is known as a unique sink for atmospheric CH4 in terrestrial ecosystem. Many comparison studies proved that forest soil had the biggest capacity of oxidizing atmospheric CH4 in various unsaturated soils. However, up to now, there is not an overall review in the aspect of atmospheric CH4 oxidation (consumption) in forest soil. This paper analyzed advances of studies on the mechanism of atmospheric CH4 oxidation, and re-lated natural factors (Soil physical and chemical characters, temperature and moisture, ambient main greenhouse gases con-centrations, tree species, and forest fire) and anthropogenic factors (forest clear-cutting and thinning, fertilization, exogenous aluminum salts and atmospheric deposition, adding biocides, and switch of forest land use) in forest soils. It was believed that CH4 consumption rate by forest soil was limited by diffusion and sensitive to changes in water status and temperature of soil. CH4 oxidation was also particularly sensitive to soil C/N, Ambient CO2, CH4 and N2O concentrations, tree species and forest fire. In most cases, anthropogenic disturbances will decrease atmospheric CH4 oxidation, thus resulting in the elevating of atmos-pheric CH4. Finally, the author pointed out that our knowledge of atmospheric CH4 oxidation (consumption) in forest soil was insufficient. In order to evaluate the contribution of forest soils to atmospheric CH4 oxidation and the role of forest played in the process of global environmental change, and to forecast the trends of global warming exactly, more researchers need to studies further on CH4 oxidation in various forest soils of different areas.

Selective oxidation of methane to syngas using Pr_(0.7)Zr_(0.3)O_(2-δ): Stability of oxygen carrier

Pr0.7Zr0.3O2-δ solid solution was prepared by co-precipitation method and used as an oxygen carrier in the selective oxidation of methane to syngas(methane/air redox process). The evolution on the physicochemical properties of Pr0.7Zr0.3O2-δ during the redox process was studied by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD), H2 temperature-programmed reduction(H2-TPR), O2temperature-programmed desorption(O2-TPD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) surface area measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) technologies. The results indicated that Pr0.7Zr0.3O2-δ solid solution showed the high activity for the methane conversion to syngas with a high CO selectivity in the range of 83.5%-88.1%. Though Pr-Zr solid solution possessed high thermal stability, lattice oxygen was obviously reduced for the recycled sample due to decreased surface oxygen which promoted oxygen vacancies. The increased oxygen vacancies seemed to enhance the oxygen transfer ability in the redox process and provided sufficient oxygen for the methane selective oxidation, resulting in a satisfactory activity. The problem of hot pot was avoided by comparing fresh, aged and recycle sample in the reaction.

A review of the direct oxidation of methane to methanol

This article briefly reviewed the advances in the process of the direct oxidation of methane to methanol （DMTM） with both heterogeneous and homogeneous oxidation. Attention was paid to the conversion of methane by the heterogeneous oxidation process with various transition metal ox‐ides. The most widely studied catalysts are based on molybdenum and iron. For the homogeneous gas phase oxidation, several process control parameters were discussed. Reactor design has the most crucial role in determining its commercialization. Compared to the above two systems, aque‐ous homogenous oxidation is an efficient route to get a higher yield of methanol. However, the cor‐rosive medium in this method and its serious environmental pollution hinder its widespread use. The key challenge to the industrial application is to find a green medium and highly efficient cata‐lysts.

CeO_2 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.

Methane Oxidation to Synthesis Gas Using Lattice Oxygen of La_(1-x)Sr_xMO_(3-λ)(M =Fe,Mn) Perovskite Oxides Instead of Molecular Oxygen

In this paper, the partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas using lattice oxygen of La1- SrxMO3-λ (M=Fe, x Mn) perovskite oxides instead of molecular oxygen was investigated. The redox circulation between 11% O2/Ar flow and 11% CH4/He flow at 900℃ shows that methane can be oxidized to CO and H2 with a selectivity of over 90.7% using the lattice oxygen of La1- SrxFeO3-λ (x≤0.2) perovskite oxides in an appropriate reaction condition, while the lost lattice x oxygen can be supplemented by air re-oxidation. It is viable for the lattice oxygen of La1- SrxFeO3-λ (x≤0.2) perovskite x oxides instead of molecular oxygen to react with methane to synthesis gas in the redox mode.

Preparation and characterization of Ce_(1-x)Fe_xO_2 complex oxides and its catalytic activity for methane selective oxidation

A series of Ce1-xFexO2 （x=0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1） complex oxide catalysts were prepared using the coprecipitation method. The catalysts were characterized by means of XRD and H2-TPR. The reactions between methane and lattice oxygen from the complex oxides were investigated. The characteristic results revealed that the combination of Ce and Fe oxide in the catalysts could lower the temperature necessary to reduce the cerium oxide. The catalytic activity for selective CH4 oxidation was strongly influenced by dropped Fe species. Adding the appropriate amount of Fe2O3 to CeO2 could promote the action between CH4 and CeO2. Dispersed Fe2O3 first returned to the original state and would then virtually form the Fe species on the catalyst, which could be considered as the active site for selective CH4 oxidation. The appearance of carbon formation was significant and the oxidation of carbon appeared to be the rate-determining step; the amounts of surface reducible oxygen species in CeO2 were also relevant to the activity. Among all the catalysts, Ce0.6Fe0.402 exhibited the best activity, which converted 94.52% of CH4 at 900 ℃.

Additive effects of alkaline-earth metals and nickel on the performance of Co/γ-Al_2O_3 in methane catalytic partial oxidation

Nano-sized γ-alumina （γ-Al2O3） was first prepared by a precipitation method. Then, active component of cobalt and a series of alkaline- earth metal promoters or nickel （Ni） with different contents were loaded on the γ-Al2O3 support. The catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and thermogravimetry analysis （TGA）. The activity and selectivity of the catalysts in catalytic partial oxidation （CPO） of methane have been compared with Co/γ-Al2O3, and it is found that the catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability are enhanced by the addition of alkaline-earth metals and nickel. The optimal loadings of strontium （Sr） and Ni were 6 and 4 wt%, respectively. This finding will be helpful in designing the trimetallic Co-Ni-Sr/γ-Al2O3 catalysts with high performance in CPO of methane

Effect of Cu promoter on Ni-based SBA-15 catalysts for partial oxidation of methane to syngas

A series of Ni/SBA-15 catalysts with 5wt% to 15wt% Ni content as well as a series of 12.5%Ni/Cu/SBA-15 catalysts with 1% to 10% copper content were prepared by the impregnation method. The catalytic performance for partial oxidation of methane was investigated in a continuous flow microreactor under atmospheric pressure. The textural and chemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, BET and Hz-TPR techniques. The results indicated that the catalysts modified with Cu promoter showed better performance than those without modification. For the 12.5%Ni/2.5%/Cu/SBA-15 catalyst, at 850 ℃ the conversion of CH4 reached 97.9% and the selectivity of CO and H2 reached 98.0% and 96.0%, respectively. In XRD patterns of the Ni/Cu/SBA-15 catalyst with 7.5 to 10% Cu contents there were CuO characteristic peaks beside NiO characteristic peaks. The mesoporous structure of SBA-15 was retained in all of the catalysts. TPR analysis of the catalysts revealed that a strong interaction between Ni, Cu promoter and SBA-15 support may be existed. This interaction enhanced significantly the redox properties of the catalysts resulting in the higher catalytic activity.

Selective oxidation of methane to formaldehyde by oxygen over silica-supported iron catalysts

FeOx-SiO2 catalysts prepared by a sol-gel method were studied for the selective oxidation of methane by oxygen. A single-pass formaldehyde yield of 2.0% was obtained over the FeOx-SiO2 with an iron content of 0.5 wt% at 898 K. This 0.5 wt% FeOx-SiO2 catalyst demonstrated significantly higher catalytic performances than the 0.5 wt% FeOx/SiO2 prepared by an impregnation method. The correlation between the catalytic performances and the characterizations with UV-Vis and H2-TPR suggested that the higher dispersion of iron species in the catalyst prepared by the sol-gel method was responsible for its higher catalytic activity for formaldehyde formation. The modification of the FeOx-SiO2 by phosphorus enhanced the formaldehyde selectivity, and a single-pass formaldehyde yield of 2.4% could be attained over a P-FeOx-SiO2 catalyst （P/Fe = 0.5） at 898 K. Raman spectroscopic measurements indicated the formation of FePO4 nanoclusters in this catalyst, which were more selective toward formaldehyde formation.

Effect of CeO_2 and CaO Promoters on Ignition Performance for Partial Oxidation of Methane over Ni/MgO-Al_2O_3 Catalyst

The effect of CeO2 and CaO promoters on the ignition performance over Ni/MgO-Al2O3 catalyst for the partial oxidation of methane （POM） to synthesis gas was investigated. It was found that the POM reaction could not be ignited over lwt%Ni/MgO-Al2O3 catalyst without the promoters in the temperature range from 773 K to 1073 K. CeO2 and CaO promoters enhanced the ignition performance and the POM reactivity of lwt%Ni/MgO-Al2O3 catalyst remarkably. Moreover, the improving effect became greater with the increase of the promoter content under the investigated reactiorrconditions. The modification effects of CeO2 and CaO promoters were closely related to the concentration and reducibility of the surface and bulk oxygen species.

Catalytic Partial Oxidation of Methane over Ni/CeO_2-ZrO_2-Al_2O_3

Nickel catalysts supported on CeO2-ZrO2-CeO2,ZrO2-Al2O3 and Al2O3 were prepared and characterized by means of X-ray diffraction（XRD）,BET areas,H2 temperature-programmed reduction（H2-TPR）,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）.Through the test of catalytic partial oxidation of methane（CPOM）,Ni/CeO2-ZrO2-Al2O3 displayed the highest activity,which resulted from its largest BET area and best NiO dispersion.Furthermore,Ni/CeO2-ZrO2-Al2O3 maintained a long-time stability in CPOM,which was attributed to its best coking resistance among all the prepared catalysts.

Application of in-plasma catalysis and post-plasma catalysis for methane partial oxidation to methanol over a Fe_2O_3-CuO/γ-Al_2O_3 catalyst

Methane partial oxidation to methanol （MPOM） using dielectric barrier discharge over a Fe2O3-CuO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was performed.The multicomponent catalyst was combined with plasma in two different configurations,i.e.,in-plasma catalysis （IPC） and post-plasma catalysis （PPC）.It was found that the catalytic performance of the catalysts for MPOM was strongly dependent on the hybrid configuration.A better synergistic performance of plasma and catalysis was achieved in the IPC configuration,but the catalysts packed in the discharge zone showed lower stability than those connected to the discharge zone in sequence.Active species,such as ozone,atomic oxygen and methyl radicals,were produced from the plasma-catalysis process,and made a major contribution to methanol synthesis.These active species were identified by the means of in situ optical emission spectra,ozone measurement and FT-IR spectra.It was confirmed that the amount of active species in the IPC system was greater than that in the PPC system.The results of TG,XRD,and N2 adsorption-desorption revealed that carbon deposition on the spent catalyst surface was responsible for the catalyst deactivation in the IPC configuration.

Comparison of LaFeO_3,La_(0.8)Sr_(0.2)FeO_3,and La_(0.8)Sr_(0.2)Fe_(0.9)CO_(0.1)O_3 perovskite oxides as oxygen carrier for partial oxidation of methane

Comparison of LaFeO3, La0.8Sr0.2FeO3, and La0.8Sr0.2Fe0.9CO0.1O3 perovskite oxides as oxygen carrier for partial oxidation of methane in the absence of gaseous oxygen was investigated by continuous flow reaction and sequential redox reaction, Methane was oxidized to syngas with high selectivity by oxygen species of perovskite oxides in the absence of gaseous oxygen. The sequential redox reaction revealed that the structural stability and continuous oxygen supply in redox reaction decreased over La0.8Sr0.2Fe0.9Co0. 1O3 oxide, while LaFeO3 and La0.8Sr0.2FeO3 exhibited excellent structural stability and continuous oxygen supply.

Partial Oxidation of Methane to Syngas over Monolithic Ni/γ-Al_2O_3 Catalyst——Effects of Rare Earths and Other Basic Promoters

A series of monolithic Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts with and without basic promoters （Na, Sr, La, Ce） were prepared. Partial oxidation of methane （POM） to syngas was carried out in a continuous-flow, fixed-bed reactor. The influences of reaction conditions, including temperature, CH4/O2 ratio and space velocity, on the performance of the catalyst were investigated. The results show that at a high space velocity of 1 ×10^5 h^-1, optimal CH4 conversion can be obtained. Effects of promoters such as Na, Sr, Ce, La were also investigated, and the catalyst samples were characterized by means of temperature-programmed reduction and XRD techniques. XRD suggests that the addition of promoters has no influence on the crystal structure of Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalyst. The results show that the addition of a small amount of promoters improves the reducibility and activity of the catalyst. The side reaction CH4 ＋ 2O2→CO2 ＋ H2O, is fully restrained and 100% H2 selectivity is achieved when Ce and La are used as promoters, respectively.

Partial oxidation of methane in Ba_(0.5)Sr_(0.5)Co_(0.8)Fe_(0.1)Ni_(0.1)O_(3-δ) ceramic membrane reactor

Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.1Ni0.1O3δ（BSCFNiO） perovskite oxides were synthesized using a combined EDTA-citrate complexation method,and then pressed into disk and applied in a membrane reactor.The performance of the BSCFNiO membrane reactor was studied for partial oxidation of methane over Ni/α-Al 2 O 3 catalyst.The time dependence of oxygen permeation rate and catalytic performance of BSCFNiO membrane during the catalyst initiation stage were investigated at 850 C.In unsteady state,oxygen permeation rate,methane conversion and CO selectivity were closely related to the state of the catalyst.After 300 min from the initial time,the reaction condition reached to steady state and oxygen permeation rate were obtained about 11.7cm 3 cm 2 min 1.Also,the performance of membrane reactor was studied at the temperatures between 750 and 950 C.The results demonstrated good performance for the membrane reactor,as CH 4 conversion and CO selectivity permeation rate reached 98% and 97.5%,respectively,and oxygen permeation rate was about 14.5 cm 3 cm 2 min 1 which was 6.8 times higher than that of air-helium gradient.Characterization of membrane surface by SEM after reaction showed that the original grains disappeared on both surfaces exposed to the air and reaction side,but XRD profile of the polished surface membrane indicated that the membrane bulk preserved the perovskite structure.

A silica-immobilized Pt^(2+) catalyst for the selective,aerobic oxidation of methane via an electron-transfer chain

The combination of Pt^2＋, benzoquinone and NaNO2 forms an electron-transfer chain, which leads to the oxidation of methane by O2 in CF3COOH aqueous solution. The overall turnover number per hour （TOF） of methane at 120 ℃ is 0.5 h^-1, however, only about one fourth （23%） of methane is converted to the desired product of methanol in the formation of CF3COOCH3. The over-oxidation of methane to CO2, over the catalyst with the Pt^2＋ species immobilized via 2,2＇-bipyridyl as a ligand on the silica substrate, is depressed distinctly. Under the same conditions, the conversion to methanol dominates, and no CO2 is observed, on account of the over-oxidation of methane, as confirmed by the isotope experiment.

Partial Oxidation of Methane with Sol-Gel Fe/Hf/YSZ Catalyst in Dielectric Barrier Discharge: Catalyst Activation by Plasma

A 1% Fe-30% Hf over yttria-stabilized zirconia catalyst in combination with novel plasma-assisted activation techniques for a direct partial oxidation of methane to methanol was tested using dielectric barrier discharge plasma at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. However, instead of methanol, the reaction products were dominated by HE, CO, CO2, C2, and H2O. A catalytically activated plasma process increased the production of methanol compared with a noncatalytic plasma process. The maximum selectivity of methanol production was achieved using a catalyst that was treated at higher applied power.

Elemental Geochemistry of the Interlayer Oxidation Zonein the Shihongtan Sandstone Type Uranium Deposit, Xinjiang

According to the oxidation intensity of ore-hosting sandstone, the interlayer oxidation zone of the Shihongtan sandstone-type uranium deposit in the Turpan-Hami basin can be divided into 4 geochemical subzones, namely, intenselyoxidized, weakly-oxidized, redox and unoxidized primary subzones. The elemental geochemical characteristics of the four subzones have been studied in detail, and the results show that U, together with other elements such as Re, Mo, Se, Sr, S, REE, Corganic etc., is enriched in the redox subzone. Re and U have similar geochemical properties in the reductionoxidation process. The geochemical properties of Mo and Se are similar to those of U in the reduction condition, but different from those of U in the oxidation condition. It is proposed that the ore-hosting layers can provide a curtain mount of uranium for uranium mineralization.

Structure-activity relationship in Pd/CeO2 methane oxidation catalysts

Palladium based catalysts are the most active for methane oxidation. The tuning of their composition, structure and morphology at macro and nanoscale can alter significantly their catalytic behavior and robustness with a strong impact on their overall performances. Among the several combinations of supports and promoters that have been utilized, Pd/CeO2 has attracted a great attention due to its activity and durability coupled with the unusually high degree of interaction between Pd/Pd O and the support. This allows the creation of specific structural arrangements which profoundly impact on methane activation characteristics. Here we want to review the latest findings in this area, and particularly to envisage how the control(when possible) of Pd-CeO2 interaction at nanoscale can help in designing more robust methane oxidation catalysts.