CATALYTIC CONVERSION OF METHANE INTO OLEFINS

The worldwide use of olefins in the chemical industry is growing every year. This is due to increased consumption of olefins for the production of chemically important products, such as polyethylene, ethylene glycol, acetaldehyde and vinyl chloride. In the present work, the activity of the developed heteropolyacid (HPA) catalysts based on phosphorus and tungsten in the oxidative conversion of methane to olefins was studied. The developed catalysts were applied to various natural and synthetic carriers. The process of oxidative conversion of methane was studied by varying the reaction temperature, the ratio of the reacting components, the space velocity, and the effect of the addition of water vapor to the reaction mixture. When 5% of the HPA was applied to natural carriers, ethane, ethylene, hydrogen and propylene were observed in the reaction mixture. The same activity was observed for catalysts deposited on synthetic carriers. It has been established that the optimal conditions for the oxidative conversion of methane on a catalyst of 5% HPA applied to a natural carrier are: T = 1073K, W = 3900h(-1), CH4: O-2 = 2 : 1. The positive effect of the addition of water vapor to the reaction mixture was determined.