Hydrogen-Permeable Tubular Membrane Reactor: Promoting Conversion and Product Selectivity for Non-Oxidative Activation of Methane over an Fe©SiO Catalyst.

Non-oxidative methane conversion over Fe©SiO catalyst was studied for the first time in a hydrogen (H ) permeable tubular membrane reactor. The membrane reactor is composed of a mixed ionic-electronic SrCe Zr Eu O thin film (≈20 μm) supported on the outer surface of a one-end capped porous SrCe Zr O tube. Significant improvement in CH conversion was achieved upon H removal from the membrane reactor compared to that in a fixed-bed reactor. The Fe©SiO catalyst in the H permeable membrane reactor demonstrated a stable ≈30 % C single-pass yield, with up to 30 % CH conversion and 99 % selectivity to C (ethylene and acetylene) and aromatic (benzene and naphthalene) products, at the tested conditions. The selectivity towards C or aromatics was manipulated purposely by adding H into or removing H from the membrane reactor feed and permeate gas streams.