Kinetic limit of C2 hydrocarbons yield at gas-phase oxidative coupling of methane

Abstract

Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) into ethane and ethylene () is one of the most promising routes for methane conversion into more valuable products. According to the widely accepted mechanism of catalytic OCM, interaction of oxygen with surface of the catalyst leads to active centers that dissociate molecules of methane to hydrogen atom and methyl radical. The formation of C 2 hydrocarbons takes place in subsequent gas-phase reactions. Such a mechanism of catalytic OCM may be compared with the gas-phase OCM mechanism with additional source of methyl radicals. There is in reality a kinetic limit C 2 hydrocarbons yield for OCM, which has a gas-phase nature, its value may be calculated by the modeling of gas-phase OCM with additional radical generation. This limit may be overcome with the catalysts that play a substantial role in not only radical generation but also in the subsequent processes of C 2 hydrocarbon formation.