Process for the oxidative coupling of methane

A method for the oxidative coupling of methane comprising:

• placing an oxidative catalyst within a reactor, the catalyst consisting essentially of a substrate of a metal oxide selected from one or more elements of group (A), an optional promoter from group (B), a promoter from group (C), and (D);
• wherein:
• (A) is at least one element selected from the group consisting of the Lanthanoid group and Mg, and Ca, the elements from (A) ranging from 40 to 90 wt% of the catalyst;
• (B) is an optional promoter selected from the group consisting of the elements of Group 3;
• (C) is at least one element selected from the group consisting of the elements Ca, Sr, and Ba, the elements from (C) ranging from 0.01 to 40 wt% of the catalyst;
• (D) oxygen ranging from 10 to 45 wt% of the catalyst;
• forming an oxidative catalyst containing the selected elements, and wherein the catalyst is calcined at 800° C. to 900° C. after the catalyst formation;
• pretreating the catalyst formed thereby prior to the oxidative coupling, wherein the pretreating step includes heating the reactor containing the catalyst to a pretreatment temperature of between 800° C. and 900° C. and holding the reactor containing the catalyst at the pretreatment temperature for between 1 and 3 hours;
• cooling the reactor down from the pretreatment temperature to an oxidative coupling reaction temperature ranging from 500° C. to 800° C.;
• providing a hydrocarbon feedstream comprising methane;
• feeding the hydrocarbon feedstream and a gas flow comprised of oxygen to the reactor Having the calcined oxidative catalyst therein;
• carrying out an oxidative coupling of methane within the reactor at the oxidative coupling reaction temperature to thereby form higher hydrocarbons comprised of ethane, ethylene, and combinations thereof over the oxidative catalyst according to reaction conditions;
• and
• recovering product hydrocarbons comprising ethane and ethylene from the reactor.