Reactor and method for reacting a gas and liquid reactants

A method of reacting a gas reactant and liquid reactant comprising;

• (i) introducing the gas reactant and liquid reactant into a hybrid vertical bubble plug flow reactor, having a bottom inlet and a top outlet connected by a tubular member, separately at the bottom inlet, wherein the gas reactant and liquid reactant are mixed and introduced at a rate resulting in a molar ratio of gas reactant/liquid reactant that is in excess of a stoichiometric amount and the gas reactant forms bubbles within the liquid reactant, wherein the liquid reactant is a gas at ambient conditions and the reactor is maintained at a pressure and temperature for the liquid reactant to be maintained as a liquid and the bubbles traverse the reactor at a speed and the liquid reactant traverse the reactor at a speed and the speed of the bubbles is the same or greater than the speed of the liquid reactant,
• (ii) allowing the gas and liquid reactants to react and form a reaction product as they flow upwards through the hybrid vertical bubble plug flow reactor in the presence of a catalyst, and
• (iii) removing the reaction product at the top outlet.