THE CHALLENGE
Converting methane into high value aromatics such as benzene remains commercially difficult despite strong demand in petrochemical markets and the need to monetize stranded natural gas. Current practice relies on indirect syngas based routes that require large capital investment, high energy input, and are only profitable at very large industrial scales, leaving remote gas flaring unresolved. Direct methane dehydroaromatization offers a simpler single step pathway, but its business viability is limited by low conversion caused by thermodynamic equilibrium constraints and by rapid deactivation of molybdenum zeolite catalysts due to coke deposition, which shortens catalyst lifetime and raises operating costs. Efforts to introduce oxidant co feeds in packed bed reactors create uneven reaction conditions where the inlet suffers over oxidation of active sites while downstream zones experience continued carbon buildup. Hydrogen removal approaches can improve equilibrium but often accelerate fouling and depend on costly non-scalable materials, ultimately preventing consistent performance and industrial deployment at scale.
OUR SOLUTION
This technology offers a scalable pathway to turn low value or flared methane into high value aromatics such as benzene using a single step process that reduces reliance on expensive multi stage syngas infrastructure. The system is based on a concentric tubular membrane reactor where methane is introduced on the shell side and a controlled reactant stream is supplied through an inner tube under elevated pressure. This spatially distributed feed design enables precise regulation of reaction chemistry along the reactor length, removing the common issue of uneven oxidant distribution seen in conventional packed bed systems. As a result, the process prevents catalyst over oxidation at the inlet and reduces carbon buildup across the reactor through continuous in situ catalyst regeneration. By minimizing catalyst deactivation and maintaining stable activity, the system significantly improves operational efficiency, delivering higher methane conversion and increased benzene yield. This improves process economics, extends catalyst life, and creates a more viable route for small to mid-scale deployment.
Figure: Distributed Feed Membrane Reactor (DFMR).
Advantages:
Potential Application: