Statistical design and modeling of the process of methane partial oxidation using V-MCM-41 catalysts and the prediction of the formaldehyde production

The catalytic performance of vanadium incorporated MCM-41 catalysts for the partial direct oxidation of methane to formaldehyde has been investigated. The laboratory controllable factors, i.e., reaction temperature, V-loading, gas hourly space velocity, reactant ratio (CH₄/O₂), and reaction pressure, were observed to significantly affect the formaldehyde selectivity, methane conversion, and formaldehyde space time yield. As a simplified approach to optimize the production of formaldehyde, the novel application of statistical multivariate analysis and prediction through a multi-regression model, and the optimization of the processing parameters in the complex reaction process are presented. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the AIChE Annual Meeting (San Francisco, CA 11/12-17/2006).