Methanol production from methane utilizing a supported chromium catalyst
AssigneeChevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
InventorsJamie N. Sutherland, James Hillier, Gregory G. Hendrickson, Max P. McDaniel
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Abstract
Processes for converting methane into methanol are disclosed in which methane, water, and a supported chromium (VI) catalyst are contacted with a light beam at a wavelength in the UV-visible spectrum in an oxidizing atmosphere in a single reactor to form a reaction product comprising methanol, followed by discharging a reactor effluent containing the reaction product from the single reactor, and then separating methanol from the reaction product. Processes to produce methanol using additional reactors also are described, as well as related methanol production systems.
Claims27
A process for converting methane into methanol, the process comprising:
- (a) contacting methane and a supported chromium catalyst comprising chromium in a hexavalent oxidation state with a light beam at a wavelength in the UV-visible spectrum, optionally in a first oxidizing atmosphere, in a first reactor to form a reduced chromium catalyst;
- (b) contacting the reduced chromium catalyst with water, optionally in a second oxidizing atmosphere, in a second reactor to form a reaction product comprising methanol;
- (c) discharging a reactor effluent containing the reaction product from the second reactor;
- and
- (d) separating methanol from the reaction product;
- wherein a molar ratio of water in step (b) to methane in step (a) is from 1:2 to 2:1.
A process for converting methane into methanol, the process comprising:
- (a) contacting methane and a supported chromium catalyst comprising chromium in a hexavalent oxidation state with a light beam at a wavelength in the UV-visible spectrum, in a first oxidizing atmosphere comprising air and in a first reactor to form a reduced chromium catalyst, wherein a molar ratio of molecular oxygen in the first oxidizing atmosphere to methane is from 0.1:1 to 1:1;
- (b) contacting the reduced chromium catalyst with water, optionally in a second oxidizing atmosphere, in a second reactor to form a reaction product comprising methanol;
- (c) discharging a reactor effluent containing the reaction product from the second reactor;
- and
- (d) separating methanol from the reaction product.
A process for converting methane into methanol, the process comprising:
- (a) contacting methane and a supported chromium catalyst comprising chromium in a hexavalent oxidation state with a light beam at a wavelength in the UV-visible spectrum, in a first oxidizing atmosphere comprising air and in a first reactor to form a reduced chromium catalyst, wherein a molar ratio of molecular oxygen in the first oxidizing atmosphere to chromium of the supported chromium catalyst is at least 2:1;
- (b) contacting the reduced chromium catalyst with water, optionally in a second oxidizing atmosphere, in a second reactor to form a reaction product comprising methanol;
- (c) discharging a reactor effluent containing the reaction product from the second reactor;
- and
- (d) separating methanol from the reaction product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.