Improving selectivity during methane partial oxidation by use of a membrane reactor

A reactant-swept catalytic membrane reactor for partial oxidation of methane to formaldehyde has been modeled. Kinetic parameters were taken from the literature for a V₂O₅/Sio₂ methane partial oxidation catalyst, and membrane parameters characteristic of commercially available materials were used. The models show that the selectivity for formaldehyde can be significantly improved by using a membrane reactor.