Partial oxidation of methane to syngas in a perovskite hollow fiber membrane reactor

Abstract A perovskite mixed conducting membrane made from the composition BaCo x Fe y Zr z O 3− δ (BCFZ, x  +  y  +  z  = 1.0) in a hollow fiber geometry was used to construct a membrane reactor for the partial oxidation of methane to syngas (CO + H 2 ). In the membrane reactor without catalyst filling, the product gas contained mainly unreacted CH 4 and O 2 together with a few percent of CO 2. After packing sufficient Ni-based catalyst around and behind the hollow fiber membrane, syngas (H 2  + CO) was observed. At 925 °C, the CO selectivity reached about 97% with CH 4 conversion of 96%. The possible reaction pathways were proposed to be an oxidation-reforming process.