| abstract |
A process for producing ethylene comprising (a) contacting a reactant mixture with an oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) catalyst in the presence of a chlorine intermediate precursor in a reactor to yield a product mixture, wherein the reactant mixture comprises methane and oxygen, wherein the product mixture comprises ethylene, ethane, and unreacted methane, and wherein the OCM catalyst comprises an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, or both; and (b) recovering at least a portion of the ethylene from the product mixture. Yielding the product mixture in step (a) further comprises (i) allowing a first portion of the reactant mixture to react via an OCM reaction, (ii) allowing at least a portion of the chlorine intermediate precursor to generate a chlorine intermediate, and (iii) allowing a second portion of the reactant mixture to react via the chlorine intermediate. |