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 2 products (C 2 H 6 , C 2 H 4 ). In this work, BaCe 0.85 Tb 0.05 Co 0.1 O 3-δ (BCTCo) perovskite hollow fiber membranes were fabricated by the combined phase inversion and sintering method. SrCe 0.95 Yb 0.05 O 3-δ (SCYb) perovskite oxide was loaded as a catalyst onto the inner hollow fiber membrane surface, which promoted the CH 4 conversion and the C 2 hydrocarbon selectivity during the DCM reaction. The introduction of steam into the methane feed gas mixture elevated the C 2 selectivity and yield due to the alleviation of coke deposition. Switching N 2 to air as the sweep gas further increased the C 2 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 2 yield.