Development of a new process for direct methane oxidation to methanol using Cu-Zeolites catalysts

• Grant number: 23/18451-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: José Maria Correa Bueno
• Grantee: Davi Domingos Petrolini
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/01258-5 - Novel chemical catalytic and photocatalytic processes for the direct conversion of methane and CO2 to products, AP.TEM

Abstract

Studies carried out for partial oxidation of methane over Cuzeolites catalysts have significantly advanced towards the development of a new molecular oxygen-free process for partial oxidation of methane to methanol. The process consists of three cyclical steps:1. Oxidation of methane to methanol: Methane is reduced by active species of Cu2+ clusters of the type -CuOH, -CuOCu- and -Cu3O3-.2. Methanol extraction: The adsorbed methanol is extracted with water vapor or CO2.3. Dehydroxylation: Methanol is desorbed and Cu+ is reoxidized by O2 or CO2.Studies were carried out to improve the yield and selectivity of the process. The main innovations are:* The use of CO2 instead of O2 for the dehydroxylation step. This allows you to reduce the amount of molecular oxygen needed in the process, which makes it more efficient and safe.* The discovery that the active species of type 2(-CuOH) are not reoxidized by CO2, which allows the desorption of methanol at high temperature.* The possibility of using -Cu3O3- as an active species. These species are more stable than -CuOH and can be reoxidized with CO2.Therefore, it is proposed to build a new reactor to continue the studies. The reactor will have modulation of the reactants in the feed, which will allow studying the influence of process variables, such as temperature, oxidizing agent, modulation frequency and catalyst stability.The studies developed show that the new process of partial oxidation of methane to methanol has a high potential for yield and selectivity. The construction of the new reactor will make it possible to study the process variables and validate the industrial viability of the process.