Novel Catalytic Materials for Oxidative Coupling of Methane

Oxidative Coupling of Methane (OCM) is an attractive alternative for the production of ethylene, as compared to current processes based on crude oil. Although low selectivity and yield have prevented development of a practical catalyst, mixed metal oxides with complex structures (for example, mixed perovskite with general formula A_xA’_1-xB_yB’_1-yO₃) have generated interest in recent years [1]. Solution Combustion Synthesis (SCS) is a one-step method for the synthesis of nanostructured complex metal oxides with tailored composition, phase, oxidation state, and surface areas, by variation of tunable synthesis parameters. This technique has been extensively developed and used in our laboratory for synthesis of such materials [2-4]. Our current research involves maximizing selectivity and yield of ethylene in OCM, using catalysts synthesized by the SCS technique, by systematic variation of the metal components and their ratios, and optimization of reaction conditions.

References

1. Kondratenko, V. and Baerns, M., Oxidative coupling of methane, Chapter in Handbook of Heterogeneous Catalysis, Wiley-VCH Verlag, 2008.
2. Erri, P., Dinka P. and Varma, A., Chem. Eng. Sci. 2006, 61, 5328.
3. Deshpande, K., Mukasyan, A. and Varma, A., J. Power Sources, 2006, 158, 60.
4. Erri, P. and Varma A., Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2007, 46, 8597.