skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Methane oxidation by oxygen transported through solid electrolyte

Journal Article · · Journal of Catalysis; (USA)

Solid oxide electrolytes such as yttria-stabilized zirconia, doped ceria, and {beta}-phase bismuth oxide are well known as good oxygen ion conductors. Application of this high ionic conductivity have been made to fuel cells, oxygen pumps, oxygen sensors, and reactors for various kinds of catalytic reaction. Recently, an attempt has been made to utilize oxygen ions transported through a solid electrolyte to a catalyst electrode for the oxidative coupling of methane. It has been reported that oxygen transported to Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Ag catalyst at low transport rates showed higher activity and selectivity for production of C{sub 2} compounds (ethane and ethylene) than oxygen supplied from the gas phase. However, over an Ag electrode such high selectivity was not obtained. In the present work, the oxidation of methane was carried out over a single electrode in order to escape from the complexity which arises from the coexistence of electrode and catalyst. Silver pastes and lanthanum cobaltate powders were employed as electrode materials, because these materials are known to catalyze partial and deep oxidation, respectively. The solid electrolyte tubes were made of zirconia doped with 8 mol% yttria (yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)). Reactants and products such as CO, H{sub 2}, CO{sub 2},C{sub 2}H{sub 6}, C{sub 2}H{sub 4}, and C{sub 3}H{sub 8} were analyzed by a gas chromatograph with Unibeads 1S and Molecular Sieve 13X columns. A material balance within {+-}5% was achieved for carbon. To compare the reactivity of the transported oxygen with that of oxygen in the gas phase, the following three reaction systems were employed: (1) transport system, where the reaction is caused by oxygen transported electrochemically, (2) Mixture system, where the reaction is caused by oxygen premixed in the gas phase, and (3) Joint system, where both transported and premixed oxygen taken part in the reaction.

OSTI ID:
5628913
Journal Information:
Journal of Catalysis; (USA), Vol. 126:2; ISSN 0021-9517
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Catalytic and electrocatalytic oxidation of methane in a stabilized zirconia cell
Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · OSTI ID:5628913

LOW-TEMPERATURE, ANODE-SUPPORTED HIGH POWER DENSITY SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELLS WITH NANOSTRUCTURED ELECTRODES
Technical Report · Fri May 23 00:00:00 EDT 2003 · OSTI ID:5628913

Solid electrolyte aided direct coupling of methane
Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Journal of Catalysis; (United States) · OSTI ID:5628913