Report of the Workshop on Challenges and Opportunities in Light Alkane Activation

Abstract

The main conclusions and discussions of an EC workshop on the challenges and opportunities in light alkane activation are presented. The workshop took the form of a series of discussion sessions, each addressing a specific question. A number of viable research targets for the utilization of alkanes were identified particularly in the area of the replacement of olefin feedstocks. These targets include the oxidation of alkanes to alcohols and/or aldehydes, the synthesis of acrolein and acrylonitrile from propane and the conversion of butane to methacrylates. The replacement of other feedstocks, e.g. synthesis gas, was also considered and a viable target was identified to be the conversion of ethane to acetic acid. The selective activation of methane was viewed separately from higher alkanes and the conversion of methane to benzene and the co-conversion of methane and alkenes were considered to be suitable targets. Potential novel reactions were discussed and the conversion of butane to furan and/or 1,4-butane diol was concluded to be a viable target. If these target reactions are to be addressed it was a main conclusion of the workshop that multidisciplinary teams are required to minimize the research timescale. Teams should comprise expertise drawn from both industry and academe in the fields of catalytic chemistry, materials science, theoretical methodology and chemical engineering. In addition, heterogeneous catalysis should not be viewed as the automatic choice for an optimized process, and either homogeneous catalysis or biomimetic alkane activation should be incorporated into the initial project design considerations.