MIXED CONDUCTING MEMBRANE FOR ISOBUTYLENE SYNTHESIS FROM BUTANE

THE APPLICATION OF MIXED IONIC AND ELECTRONIC CONDUCTING MEMBRANES FOR ISOBUTYLENE SYNTHESIS FROM BUTANE IS BEING INVESTIGATED. THE APPLICATION OF PROTON AND ELECTRON CONDUCTING MEMBRANES PROVIDES ENHANCED OVERALL DEHYDROISOMERIZATION EFFICIENCY FOR PROMOTING THE SUBJECT REACTION. EXPERIMENTALLY, THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY STUDYING BOTH ELECTROCHEMICAL AND MEMBRANE DEVICES AT TEMPERATURES SUFFICIENTLY LOW TO FAVOR ISOMERIZATION OVER DEHYDROGENATION. THIS REQUIRES THE EMPLOYMENT OF PROTON CONDUCTING MATERIALS CAPABLE OF OPERATING IN THIS RELATIVELY LOW TEMPERATURE REGIME (200-400 DEGREES CENTIGRADE). TECHNOLOGY IS BASED UPON THE RESPECTIVE SOLID ELECTROLYTES, AMMONIUM/HYDRONIUM BETA"-ALUMINA AND H3O+ BETA"-ALUMINA DOPED WITH APPROPRIATE DIVALENT TRANSITION METAL IONS TO MAKE THEM INTO MIXED PROTON AND ELECTRON CONDUCTING MEMBRANES. CATALYSTS ON THE MEMBRANE OXIDIZING SIDE EMPHASIZE THE LEWIS ACID WO3 AND THE RESPECTIVE SULFATED MATERIALS MNO2/FE2O3/ZRO2, ZRO2, AL2O3, TIO2, GA2O3, AND FE2O3. THESE OXIDE CATALYSTS MAY BE FURTHER MODIFIED BY INCORPORATION OF BASE PRECIOUS METALS. THIS APPROACH PROVIDES A NOVEL AND ECONOMICAL STRATEGY FOR THE DIRECT SYNTHESIS OF ISOBUTYLENE FROM BUTANE FOR EMPLOYMENT IN SUBSEQUENT SYNTHESIS OF THE RESPECTIVE FUEL ADDITIVES METHYLTERTBUTYLETHER (MTBE), AND ETHYLTERTBUTYLETHER (ETBEW.