Conversion of Methane to Methanol with Co-Generation of Electricity from Palladium Catalysts Supported in Carbon

The application of solid electrolyte reactors for methane oxidation and energy co-generation is attractive, especially with the use of catalysts synthesized from noble metals such as palladium. In this work, we prepared three different compositions of palladium on carbon support to evaluate the composition that had the greatest potential for energy generation. Catalysts in the proportions of 5, 10 and 20% of Pd/C were tested for the conversion of greenhouse gases into organic molecules of higher added value using electrochemical fuel cell solid electrolyte reactors. The focus of this work was the conversion of methane into methanol, using the fuel cell as a reactor and the commercial Pd/C as electrocatalyst. The electrocatalysts were tested at the anode, analyzed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and their activities verified by experiments with rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE). Higher levels of palladium (Pd/C 20%) favored obtaining electrical power, and the intermediate composition (Pd/C 10%) showed a greater production of less oxidized compounds, such as methanol, in addition to generating electricity.

Automated summary

This study investigated the application of solid electrolyte reactors and palladium catalysts for methane oxidation and energy co-generation. It was found that a higher content of palladium catalysts resulted in better electricity generation, while an intermediate content of palladium catalysts not only produced methanol, but also generated electricity.