Partial Oxidation of Methane in a Catalytic Ruthenium Membrane Reactor

Abstract

A catalytic ruthenium membrane reactor (CRMR) is analyzed with regard to the methane partial oxidation reaction for synthesis gas production. The catalytic membrane consists of a commercial ceramic tube, where two different layers of ruthenium nanoparticles have been deposited on the inner surface. The metal deposition was performed by decomposition of a Ru complex under mild conditions. Different operating modes are analyzed for CRMR to establish the potentiality of the Ru catalyst deposited on the tubular ceramic support. A comparison in terms of methane conversion at various temperatures is presented. Experimental runs of CRMR containing a one-Ru-layer membrane and a two-Ru-layer membrane have also been compared.