Novel Catalytic Alkane Oxidation Process

Ethanol is a versatile chemical that is used as a chemical solvent, sterilizer, antifreeze, chemical intermediate, and an oxygenate in fuels. Ethanol is produced primarily by fermentation of grains; however, a few industrial processes manufacture high purity ethanol from the hydration of ethylene. If synthetic ethanol instead could be made directly from the oxidation of light alkanes, which are found in abundance in the petroleum industry, these low-value fuel gases could be converted into a high value alcohol. Previous work has led to the identification of a novel catalyst formulation for light alkane oxidation, leading to the production of valuable oxygenates such as alcohols. Because the process directly oxidizes light alkanes instead of olefins, it could operate more cheaply than current industrial synthetic alcohol manufacturing processes. Phase I will synthesize and test new catalysts to determine the combination of catalyst formulation and operating conditions that provide the best selectivity to alcohols. In Phase II, the catalyst formulation will be further optimized, and the best catalyst will be tested in a bench-scale reactor. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Since the alkane feed stocks proposed for oxidation to ethanol are cheaper than traditional synthetic raw materials, high purity synthetic ethanol should become cheaper to manufacture. As a result, the development of an alternate route to ethanol from a cheap, abundant (domestic supply) fossil fuel feedstock such as ethane should help alleviate some of the demand for corn-fermentation ethanol. Conversion of low value ethane to high value ethanol would be an advantage for both the fuels and chemical industries