Direct Methane to Methanol: Foundations and Prospects of the Process offers a state-of-the-art account of one of the most interesting and potentially commercial technologies for direct conversion of natural gas into valuable chemicals. The book thoroughly explains the complex and unusual chemistry of the process, as well as possible applications for direct methane to methanol (DMTM). It covers topics involving thermokinetics, pressure, direct oxidation of heavier alkanes, and more, and provides detailed appendices with experimental data and product yields. This book provides all those who work in the field of gas processing and gas chemistry with the theory and experimental data to develop and apply new processes based on direct oxidation of natural gas. All those who deal with oil and natural gas production and processing will learn about this promising technology for the conversion of gas into more valuable chemicals. Reviews more than 350 publications on high-pressure, low-temperature oxidation of methane and other gas phase hydrocarbons Contains rare material available for the first time in English Explains the reasons of previous failure and outlines the way forward for commercial development of the conversion technology Presents a deep theoretical knowledge of this complex conversion process
This proceedings volume comprises the invited plenary lectures, contributed and poster papers presented at a symposium organised to mark the successful inauguration of the world's first commercial plant for production of gasoline from natural gas, based on the Mobil methanol-to-gasoline process. The objectives of the Symposium were to present both fundamental research and engineering aspects of the development and commercialization of gas-to-gasoline processes. These include steam reforming, methanol synthesis and methanol-to-gasoline. Possible alternative processes e.g. MOGD, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of hydrocarbons, and the direct conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons were also considered.The papers in this volume provide a valuable and extremely wide-ranging overview of current research into the various options for natural gas conversion, giving a detailed description of the gas-to-gasoline process and plant. Together, they represent a unique combination of fundamental surface chemistry catalyst characterization, reaction chemistry and engineering scale-up and commercialization.
A reasonable case could be made that the scientific interest in catalytic oxidation was the basis for the recognition of the phenomenon of catalysis. Davy, in his attempt in 1817 to understand the science associated with the safety lamp he had invented a few years earlier, undertook a series of studies that led him to make the observation that a jet of gas, primarily methane, would cause a platinum wire to continue to glow even though the flame was extinguished and there was no visible flame. Dobereiner reported in 1823 the results of a similar investigation and observed that spongy platina would cause the ignition of a stream of hydrogen in air. Based on this observation Dobereiner invented the first lighter. His lighter employed hydrogen (generated from zinc and sulfuric acid) which passed over finely divided platinum and which ignited the gas. Thousands of these lighters were used over a number of years. Dobereiner refused to file a patent for his lighter, commenting that "I love science more than money." Davy thought the action of platinum was the result of heat while Dobereiner believed the ~ffect ~as a manifestation of electricity. Faraday became interested in the subject and published a paper on it in 1834; he concluded that the cause for this reaction was similar to other reactions.
While the search for catalysts capable of directly converting methane to higher value commodity chemicals and liquid fuels has been active for over a century, a viable industrial process for selective methane activation has yet to be developed. Generally, this failure has been attributed to two primary difficulties: (1) the high barriers required to activate methane (activity), and (2) the higher activity of the C-H bonds in methanol compared to methane (selectivity). In this thesis, we delve into both of these problems and identify general frameworks and strategies that can be used in future research to identify promising catalyst materials. First, we show that, for the wide range of catalysts that proceed via a radical intermediate, a unifying framework for predicting C-H activation barriers using a single universal descriptor can be established. We combine this scaling approach with a thermodynamic analysis of active site formation to provide a map of methane activation rates, and successfully rationalize the available empirical data across catalyst classes. We then extend this analysis to catalysts that proceeed via a surface-stabilized transition state for methane activation. We present a framework for predicting the transition state's geometry (radical or surface-stabilized) and its approximate energy on a given active site. We then shift our attention to understanding and optimizing selectivity. First, we determine the principles guiding the selectivity of a related reaction, direct methanol to formaldehyde on ruthenium oxide catalysts, and find that limiting electrophilic surface oxygen coverage for this reaction is key to obtaining high selectivity. Next, recognizing that a precise and general quantification of the limitations of catalytic direct methane to methanol has not yet been established, we present a simple kinetic model to explain the selectivity-conversion tradeoff that hampers continuous partial oxidation of methane to methanol. Stemming from this analysis, we suggest several design strategies for increasing methanol yields under the constraint of the selectivity-conversion tradeoff. These strategies include (1) "collectors, " materials with strong methanol adsorption potential that can help to lower the partial pressure of methanol in the gas phase, (2) aqueous reaction conditions, and/or (3) diffusion-limited systems. Having identified these strategies, we work towards realizing a system capitalizing on (2), aqueous reaction conditions, by collaborating with experimental colleagues to develop a low-temperature electrochemical approach for methane oxidation. It is the general aim of this thesis to develop straightforward, accessible models with the help of Density Functional Theory that yield generalizable insights. We are hopeful that the models presented herein may provide a reliable framework for future researchers working to understand and evaluate new catalysts and processes for the direct oxidation of methane to methanol.
This book "Concepts of Semiconductor Photocatalysis" contains recent research on the preparation, characterization, and potential applications of the semiconductor photocatalyst. This research is promising and has received a lot of interest in the last few decades. The book covers advanced topics on the optical, physical, structural, and electro-catalysis and photo-catalysis applications. Development of new and noble efficient technology is pointing researchers toward the safe, facile, non-toxic, eco-friendly route of synthesis-to-applications, which can be used for manufacture at a large scale. This book presents an overview of the current photocatalyst fundamental theory, substantial applications, and use of the research worldwide. It is an important book for research organizations, government research-centers, academic libraries, and R
This two-volume book provides an overview of physical techniques used to characterize the structure of solid materials, on the one hand, and to investigate the reactivity of their surface, on the other. Therefore this book is a must-have for anyone working in fields related to surface reactivity. Among the latter, and because of its most important industrial impact, catalysis has been used as the directing thread of the book. After the preface and a general introduction to physical techniques by M. Che and J.C. Vedrine, two overviews on physical techniques are presented by G. Ertl and Sir J.M. Thomas for investigating model catalysts and porous catalysts, respectively. The book is organized into four parts: Molecular/Local Spectroscopies, Macroscopic Techniques, Characterization of the Fluid Phase (Gas and/ or Liquid), and Advanced Characterization. Each chapter focuses upon the following important themes: overview of the technique, most important parameters to interpret the experimental data, practical details, applications of the technique, particularly during chemical processes, with its advantages and disadvantages, conclusions.
