(560dy) Microwave Catalytic Reactor for Converting Light Alkane to Aromatics

Microwave (MW) catalytic processing has been applied to science discovery in several research fields. The potential of direct ethane dehydroaromatization under MW irradiation was explored. Meanwhile, the interaction between catalyst and microwave was studied through model simulation. It was observed that under MW irradiation, significant enhancement in ethane conversion to aromatics was achieved at 400 °C which otherwise would take up to 600 °C in a thermally heated fixed-bed reactor. The role of MW irradiation in activating ethane over the catalyst and the reaction mechanism were elucidated. The modeling results reveal the existence of hotspots and dipoles on the catalyst surface due to MW irradiation, which facilitate the activation of C-H bonds in ethane molecules and subsequently form reaction intermediates. This activation process has significantly lowered activation energy, allowing the reaction to proceed under lower bulk temperature with enhanced aromatic yield.