Oxidative coupling of methane in solid oxide fuel cell tubular membrane reactor with high ethylene yield

A Mn-Ce-Na2WO4/SiO2 catalyst integrated solid oxide fuel cell tubular membrane reactor design is developed for oxidative coupling of methane (OCM). The OCM reaction carried out using the tubular membrane reactor establishes both superb hydrocarbon selectivity and outstanding ethylene-to-ethane ratio over the conventional fixed bed OCM or the button cell reactor. A remarkable performance of 60.7% methane conversion with 41.6% C2+ selectivity, 5.8 ethylene-to-ethane ratio and 19.4% ethylene yield is achieved using the tubular membrane reactor and the Mn-Ce-Na2WO4/SiO2 catalyst, demonstrating considerable advantages over conventional OCM. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.