Efficient and selective formation of methanol from methane in a fuel cell-type reactor

• Published in: Journal of catalysis Vol. 279; no. 2; pp. 233 - 240
• Main Authors: Lee, Byungik, Hibino, Takashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 25-04-2011; Elsevier; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Active oxygen species; active sites; air; Applied sciences; Catalysis; catalysts; Chemistry; electrodes; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Equipments for energy generation and conversion: thermal, electrical, mechanical energy, etc; Exact sciences and technology; Fuel cell-type reactor; Fuel cells; General and physical chemistry; Methane; Methane oxidation; Methanol; Methanol synthesis; oxidation; superoxide anion; temperature; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; transmission electron microscopy; vanadium; vapors; X-ray diffraction; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Methane oxidation; Active oxygen species; Methanol synthesis; Fuel cell-type reactor; Methane; Vapor; Binary compound; Anode; Active site; Vanadium; Alcohol; X ray; Selectivity; Potential; Cyclic voltammetry; Synthesis; Efficiency; Tin oxide; Alkanol; Vanadium oxide; Photoelectron spectrometry; Oxidation; Reactor; Fuel cell; Low temperature; Methanol; Oxygen; Transition element compounds; Transition metal; Air; X ray diffraction; Heterogeneous catalysis; Transmission electron microscopy; Catalyst
• ISSN: 0021-9517; 1090-2694
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcat.2010.12.020

In a fuel cell-type reactor, a V
2O
5/SnO
2 anode exhibited the highest current efficiency for methanol production and selectivity toward methanol of 61.4% and 88.4%, respectively, at 100
°C.
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► Direct oxidation of methane to methanol was investigated using a fuel cell-type reactor. ► Non-platinum catalysts and non-carbon supports were tested as anodes for methanol production. ► A V
2O
5/SnO
2 anode exhibited the highest current efficiency for methanol production of 61.4.
Direct oxidation of methane to methanol at low temperatures was investigated using a fuel cell-type reactor, where a mixture of methane and H
2O vapor was supplied to the anode and air to the cathode. Methanol was scarcely produced over a Pt/C anode from 50 to 250
°C. However, through trial and error, the production of methanol over a V
2O
5/SnO
2 anode was significant at 100
°C; the current efficiency for methanol production and the selectivity toward methanol were as high as 61.4% and 88.4%, respectively. Methanol was produced by the reaction of methane with an active oxygen species over the V
2O
5 catalyst. Cyclic voltammetry of the anode indicated that the generation of such active oxygen species was strongly dependent on the anode potential. Moreover, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirmed that highly dispersed and partially reduced vanadium species were present on the SnO
2 surface. These vanadium species are considered to be active sites for the formation of the active oxygen species, probably anion radicals (
O
2
-
and O
−).