# CH4 conversion into value-added products by catalytic processes assisted by electrochemical reactions in solid oxide cells

Vanessa Bezerra Vilela, Vivian Vazquez Thyssen, Daniel Zanetti de Florio, Andre Ferlauto, Steil M.C., Fabio Coral Fonseca

<figure><img src="image_1.png" /></figure>

## ► To cite this version:

Vanessa Bezerra Vilela, Vivian Vazquez Thyssen, Daniel Zanetti de Florio, Andre Ferlauto, Steil M.C., et al.. CH4 conversion into value-added products by catalytic processes assisted by electrochemical reactions in solid oxide cells. XXII Brazilian Materials Research Society Meeting, SBMat., Sep 2024, Santos, Brazil. pp.826. hal-04913983

HAL Id: hal-04913983

https://hal.science/hal-04913983v1

Submitted on 27 Jan 2025

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access
archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci-
entific research documents, whether they are pub-
lished or not. The documents may come from
teaching and research institutions in France or
abroad, or from public or private research centers.

L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est
destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents
scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non,
émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de
recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires
publics ou privés.

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /></figure>
# CH₄ conversion into value-added products by catalytic processes assisted by electrochemical reactions in solid oxide cells

Vanessa B. Vilela¹,², Vivian V. Thyssen³, Daniel Z. de Florio⁴, Andres S. Ferlauto⁴, Marlu C. Steil², Fabio C. Fonseca¹

¹Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN-CNEN, 05508-000, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, ²Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LÉPMI, Grenoble INP (Institute of Engineering and Management), 38000, Grenoble, France, ³Innovation SENAI Institute for Biomass, ISI Biomassa, 79640-250, Três Lagoas, MS, Brazil ⁴Center for Engineering, Modeling and Applied Social Sciences, Federal University of ABC, 09210-580, Santo André, SP, Brazil

e-mail: fabiocf@usp.br

Methane (CH₄), the major constituent of natural gas and biogas, is an abundant source to obtain value-added hydrocarbons. The oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) is a direct catalytic route to convert CH₄ towards C₂ hydrocarbons (C₂H₆ and C₂H₄). The use of electrochemical devices such as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) as a reactor for OCM is possible, providing synergistic control of electrochemical oxidation/reduction reactions to energy production with in-situ catalysis [1]. In this context, the use of mixed oxide La₀.₅Ce₀.₅O₂-δ (LCO) was studied as an additional catalytic layer on the Ni/YSZ anode of a SOFC for the operation under CH₄ as fuel. The presence of surface oxygen vacancies in single-phase LCO, which may benefit the OCM reaction, was evidenced by Raman spectroscopy [2]. The catalytic properties of LCO at 800 °C were investigated in a fixed-bed catalytic reactor, resulting in a C₂ selectivity and yield of 41% and 8%, respectively. The modified SOFC with the additional LCO-catalytic layer was fabricated and tested under H₂ and CH₄ [2]. The electrochemical properties were studied during online gas analysis of the anode outlet. The experimental data revealed that CH₄ conversion and product distribution are closely related to operational conditions such as reactant concentration, anode feed flow rate, current output, and operating temperature. In addition to C₂, products of internal methane reforming (CO and H₂) were detected in all evaluated conditions. The SOFC showed stable behavior, maintaining a stable current of 20 mA·cm⁻², 10% of CH₄ conversion, and 14% of C₂ selectivity throughout 30 h. The combined catalytic and electrochemical reactions described are considered a promising approach to producing valuable chemicals and electrical energy.

## Acknowledgments:

We are thankful for the funding from FAPESP (2017/11937-4) and CNPq (407967/2022)

## References:

[1] Thyssen, V.V. et al. Chem Rev 122, 3966 (2022).

[2] Vilela, V.B. et al. ECS Trans 111, 1957 (2023).