Magnesium carbide synthesis from methane and magnesium oxide - a potential methodology for natural gas conversion to premium fuels and chemicals
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); and others
Diversification of the raw materials base for manufacturing premium fuels and chemicals offers U.S. and international consumers economic and strategic benefits. Extensive reserves of natural gas in the world provide a valuable source of clean gaseous fuel and chemical feedstock. Assuming the availability of suitable conversion processes, natural gas offers the prospect of improving flexibility in liquid fuels and chemicals manufacture, and thus, the opportunity to complement, supplement, or displace petroleum-based production as economic and strategic considerations require. The composition of natural gas varies from reservoir to reservoir but the principal hydrocarbon constituent is always methane (CH{sub 4}). With its high hydrogen-to-carbon ratio, methane has the potential to produce hydrogen or hydrogen-rich products. However, methane is a very chemically stable molecule and, thus, is not readily transformed to other molecules or easily reformed to its elements (H{sub 2} and carbon). In many cases, further research is needed to augment selectivity to desired product(s), increase single-pass conversions, or improve economics (e.g. there have been estimates of $50/bbl or more for liquid products) before the full potential of these methodologies can be realized on a commercial scale. With the trade-off between gas conversion and product selectivity, a major challenge common to many of these technologies is to simultaneously achieve high methane single-pass conversions and high selectivity to desired products. Based on the results of the scoping runs, there appears to be strong indications that a breakthrough has finally been achieved in that synthesis of magnesium carbides from MgO and methane in the arc discharge reactor has been demonstrated.
- Research Organization:
- USDOE Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center (PETC), PA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC22-92PC92111
- OSTI ID:
- 198278
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9508133-; ON: DE96001664; TRN: 95:008316-0035
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Coal liquefaction and gas conversion contractor review meeting, Pittsburgh, PA (United States), 29-31 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]; Related Information: Is Part Of Coal liquefaction and gas conversion contractors review conference: Proceedings; PB: 733 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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