Olefins from Natural Gas by Oxychlorination

Ethylene and propylene are the key building blocks of the chemical industry, but current processes are unable to close the growing gap between demand and manufacture. Reported herein is an exceptional europium oxychloride (EuOCl) catalyst for the selective (≥95 %) production of light olefins from ethane and propane by oxychlorination chemistry, thus achieving yields of ethylene (90 %) and propylene (40 %) unparalleled by any existing olefin production technology. Moreover, EuOCl is able to process mixtures of methane, ethane, and propane to produce the olefins, thereby reducing separation costs of the alkanes in natural gas. Finally, the EuOCl catalyst was supported on suitable carriers and evaluated in extrudate form, and preserves performance for >150 h under realistic process conditions. Gas up: Ethylene and propylene can be generated from ethane and propane, respectively, or from methane/ethane/propane mixtures, over a europium oxychloride catalyst. The reaction proceeds by oxychlorination with yields surpassing those of any existing technologies for alkene production. Its performance is preserved in technical form, and testifies to the practical relevance of this technology for the manufacture of light olefins.