Design of stable and selective catalysts for shale gas upgrading is still a continuing effort. Ethylene is becoming a platform chemical from shale gas that can be derived via ethane dehydrogenation and also oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) in the future. Ethylene can be catalytically converted to C4 butene hydrocarbons via dimerization. Propylene can then be obtained via metathesis of 2-butene and ethylene. The above catalytic reactions will be investigated with well-defined catalysts and in situ molecular spectroscopy (Raman, IR and UV-vis): (i) OCM by supported NaWOx/SiO2 catalysts, (ii) ethylene dimerization by supported SOx/ZrO2 catalysts and (iii) 2-butene+ethylene metathesis by supported WOx/SiO2 catalysts. These new insights will be used to develop molecular level structure-activity-selectivity relationships for these targeted shale gas-derived catalytic reactions.

Bottoms-up synthesis of commodity chemicals from shale gas

255th National Meeting (2018)

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