Oxidation of Hydrocarbon Gases to

INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE OF THE PARTIAL OXIDATION OF HYDROCARBON GASES TO OXYGENATES... 

INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE OF THE PARTIAL OXIDATION OF HYDROCARBON GASES TO OXYGENATES TABLE 11.5 Product Yields in the Meyer Process [260,266] 209... 

The current state of elaboration of the technological processes of partial oxidation of hydrocarbon gases to oxygenates is far from perfect, mainly due to insufficient volume of research development. However, it is possible to clearly identify the areas (Fig. 11.18) where this technology is promising, and in some cases, the only one suitable for solving the outstanding problems [270]. Some of these applications are discussed below. 

Yet a fourth method for making carbon monoxide involves the partial oxidation of hydrocarbon gases obtained from natural gas or petroleum. These gases consist of carbon-hydrogen compounds which, when oxidized, are converted to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water. By controlling... 

Walker process. The first successful industrial facility for the oxidation of hydrocarbon gases is apparently that based on the process developed by the Cities Service Oil Co Company in Tallant (Oklahoma), also known as the Walker process. The process was discovered by accident, as a result of studying the oxidation of natural gas as a probable cause of pipeline corrosion because of the formation of carboxylic acids. Partially stripped natural gas was used, into which air compressed to 21 atm was injected. The process was conducted over an aluminium phosphate catalyst without recycling at low conversion, pressure of 21 atm, and temperature of 425 °C. C e of the subsequent patents describes the oxidation of natural gas to a mixture of methanol, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde over a mixed catalyst composed of aluminium phosphate and metal oxides. The exhaust gas was discharged into the gas supply system for sale. The main products were methanol and formaldehyde [93,260,264]. 

When air was used as the oxidant, the concentrations of hydrogen and carbon monoxide at the outlet of this converter reached 20% and 11%, respectively, which is dose to the thermodynamically equilibrium values. The possibility of an effective conversion of natural gas into syngas with a nearly optimal ratio of H2/CO = 2 was demonstrated. Permeable 3D matrices offer a way of designing relatively simple, compact, and efficient noncatalytic auto-thermal reformers for the partial oxidation of hydrocarbon gases of different origin and composition to syngas [331—332]. 

Numerous method of producing formaldehyde li y the oxidation of hydrocarbon gases have I>een patented, and increasing amounts of foinialdehyde are made by processes of this type. In this connection, Homer observes that hydrocarbon formaldehyde is usualh obtained from the scrubbers as dilute solution which is not capable of being concentinted economically. It is also stated that it is difficult to olitain formaldehyde free from other... 

A few illustrative examples are the following. Photohydrogenation of acetylene and ethylene occurs on irradiation of Ti02 exposed to the gases, but only if TiOH surface groups are present as a source of hydrogen [319]. The pho-toinduced conversion of CO2 to CH4 in the presence of Ru and Os colloids has been reported [320]. Platinized Ti02 powder shows, in the presence of water, photochemical oxidation of hydrocarbons [321,322]. Some of the postulated reactions are ... 

Hematite is used to coat the red emiting phosphor, Y2O2EU, which is used in cathode ray tubes (Franz et al., 1993 Merckhi and Feldmann, 2000). Hematite is also used in sensors for the detection of hydrocarbon gases and carbon monoxide. The sensitivity of the sensor can be improved by sintering the oxide with 0.09 mol ° mol Al at 850 °C (Han et al., 2001 and references therein). 

There seems to be special promise in oxidizing liquefied hydrocarbon gases at temperatures and pressures approximating critical levels. That such reactions are highly effective is attested, for example, by the liquid-phase oxidation of butane, one of the simplest and most efficient methods of producing acetic acid and methyl ethyl ketone. 

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