Dehydrogenation Coupling of Methane Using Catalyst-Loaded Proton-Conducting Perovskite Hollow Fiber Membranes.

Catalytic dehydrogenation coupling of methane (DCM) represents an effective way to convert natural gas to more useful C products (CH, CH). In this work, BaCeTbCoO (BCTCo) perovskite hollow fiber membranes were fabricated by the combined phase inversion and sintering method. SrCeYbO (SCYb) perovskite oxide was loaded as a catalyst onto the inner hollow fiber membrane surface, which promoted the CH conversion and the C hydrocarbon selectivity during the DCM reaction. The introduction of steam into the methane feed gas mixture elevated the C selectivity and yield due to the alleviation of coke deposition. Switching N to air as the sweep gas further increased the C selectivity and yield. However, the conversion of methane was limited by both the low permeability of the membrane and the insufficient catalytic activity of the catalyst, leading to low C yield.