Patent ID: 8273929

Claim:
A method comprising: providing a halogen stream; providing a first alkane stream; reacting at least a portion of the halogen stream with at least a portion of the first alkane stream to form a halogenated stream, wherein the halogenated stream comprises alkyl monohalides, alkyl polyhalides, and hydrogen halide; providing a second alkane stream; reacting at least a portion of the second alkane stream with at least a portion of the alkyl polyhalides to create at least some additional alkyl monohalides; contacting at least some of the alkyl monohalides and additional alkyl monohalides with a coupling catalyst to form a product stream that comprises at least some higher hydrocarbons and hydrogen halide; contacting the product stream with a solid reactant to remove at least a portion of the hydrogen halide from the product stream; and reacting the solid reactant with a source of oxygen to generate a corresponding halogen.