Partial oxidation of methane to syngas in a mixed-conducting oxygen permeable membrane reactor

Mixed-conducting oxygen permeable membranes represent a class of novel cera mic membranes, which exhibit mixed oxygen ionic and electronic conductiviti es. At high temperatures, oxygen can permeate through the membrane from the high to low oxygen pressure side under an oxygen concentration gradient. T heoretically, the permselectivity of oxygen is 100%, Recently, a novel mixe d-conducting membrane-Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-delta has been developed, whic h shows extremely high oxygen permeability and promising stability. Further more, the reactor made with such membranes was successfully applied to the partial oxidation of methane to syngas reaction using air as the oxygen sou rce, which realized the coupling of the separation of oxygen from air and t he partial oxidation of membrane reaction in one process. At 850 degrees C, methane conversion > 88%, CO selectivity >97% and oxygen permeation rate o f about 7.8 mL/(cm(2) . min) were obtained.