(127f) Ethane Dehydrogenation Using Solar Energy

Steam cracking of ethane, a non-catalytic thermochemical process, remains the dominant means of ethylene production. The severe reaction conditions and energy expenditure involved in this process provide incentives to develop alternate pathways and reactor designs which maximize ethylene yield while minimizing cost and energy input. Herein, we report a study of non-catalytic and non-oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane. We achieve high ethylene yields with an open tube quartz reactor without the use of a catalyst at temperatures lower than those used in industrial steam cracking [1]. The open tube reactor design promotes simplicity, low cost, and negligible coke formation. The effect of diluents on the ethane conversion and product selectivity was explored, with the goal of developing a process that can make use of natural gas as feedstock without any initial separation steps. A significant reduction in the CO₂ impact can be achieved using concentrating solar power for providing the heat requirements. We present our preliminary experimental work and modeling to develop a process based on the use of solar energy to facilitate conversion of ethane to ethylene.

[1] Riley, C.R., De La Riva, A., Ibarra, I.L., Datye, A.K. and Chou, S.S., 2021. Achieving high ethylene yield in non-oxidative ethane dehydrogenation. Applied Catalysis A: General, 624, p.118309 (2021).