Feasibility Study of One-Route Partial Oxidation of Methane to Methanol: Thermodynamic Equilibrium Analysis

The possibility of the formation of methanol and the prediction of the equilibrium product distribution via one-step partial oxidation of methane was evaluated in this paper. The HSC Chemistry software was used to do this thermodynamic analysis, which is based on Gibbs free energy minimization. The reactions are seen at temperatures ranging from 25 to 1750 degrees Celsius and methane/oxygen ratios (MOR) varying from 1:1 to 5:1 at 1 bar constant pressure. Because of the negative ΔGof values and significant values of ln K, the results show that the reactions are feasible, plausible, and strongly favored at equilibrium for the reaction outcome. The ideal temperature range for methanol production is 580-680 oC, with MOR being 2:1 at 1 bar. Nevertheless, it is incredibly difficult to achieve and the amount of methanol produced is negligible (1.4 x 10-4 mol). Syngas is the most common byproduct of methane oxidation. Coke production as a byproduct will impair catalyst performance, however it can be mitigated by using a lower MOR and working temperatures no higher than 800 oC. In order to generate better methanol yields, another method of guiding the methanol production reaction is required.