Enhanced Methane Conversion in Chemical Looping Partial Oxidation of Iron-Based Oxygen Carriers

The process of chemical looping partial oxidation of methane (CLPOM) provides the advantages of low energy consumption, environmental friendliness and high quality of gas products. The primary challenge is to find suitable oxygen carriers, which are required to be highly reactive, stable, low cost and environmentally friendly. In this study, we demonstrate that Fe-2(SiO3)(3) can enhance the reactivity in CLPOM process. Compared to Fe2O3, Fe-2(SiO3)(3) can dramatically increase CH4 conversion by 272%. Ni/Cu/FeSO4, Ni/Cu/FeSiO3, Fe-2(SO4)(3) and Fe-2(SiO3)(3) were calculated respectively to find that Fe-2(SiO3)(3) was a promising candidate by thermodynamic screening. The influence of temperature, pressure and the molar ratio of Fe-2(SiO3)(3) to methane was considered during the CLPOM. The calculation results showed that the optimal condition of temperature was 800-850 degrees C, the pressure was 1 atm and the molar ratio of Fe-2(SiO3)(3) to methane was 0.35-0.4. Furthermore, Fe-2(SiO3)(3) was prepared successfully by co-precipitation method (C-Fe-2(SiO3)(3)) to investigate the oxygen carrier reactivity in CLPOM. Compared with the Fe2O3, the methane conversation can be dramatically improved by Fe-2(SiO3)(3) in CLPOM, and methane conversion could reach 95%. The Fe-2(SiO3)(3) carrier oxygen demonstrated an excellent performance at 850 degrees C and 1 atm, which was basically consistent with the calculated results.

Automated summary

The process of chemical looping partial oxidation of methane (CLPOM) offers advantages of low energy consumption, environmental friendliness, and high quality gas products. The main challenge is finding suitable oxygen carriers that are highly reactive, stable, low cost, and environmentally friendly. This study demonstrates that Fe-2(SiO3)(3) can enhance the reactivity in CLPOM and dramatically increase CH4 conversion by 272% compared to Fe2O3. The optimal conditions for the CLPOM process were determined through calculations, and Fe-2(SiO3)(3) was successfully prepared and showed excellent performance.