Methane oxidation using hollow fiber electrodes
Gas-consuming electrochemical reactions such as CO2 reduction and methane oxidation are significantly limited by the solubility limit of the gas phase in the liquid electrolyte. The gas solubility limit not only limits the (partial) current density of these reactions but also leads to low selectivity. These reactions therefore require highly efficient mass transport to enable conversions at commercially relevant current densities. One method to increase the mass transport rate is to increase the gas-liquid-solid contact area in the electrolyzer, and more specifically, at the electrode surface. This can be achieved using hollow fiber electrodes1.
Among gas-consuming electrochemical reactions, the direct partial oxidation of methane is a promising method to produce commercially important molecules such as methanol. Direct methane oxidation also represents a more sustainable way to produce syngas when compared to conventional steam methane reforming (SMR). However, this method is limited by the evolution of oxygen as a side reaction and the complete oxidation of methane to carbon dioxide. The selectivity of this electro-conversion is expected to strongly depend on the choice of electrocatalyst and the mass transport conditions2,3.
In this master’s thesis assignment, you will study the feasibility of employing hollow fiber electrodes for the electrochemical oxidation of methane. The experimental campaign will involve the testing of boron-doped diamond coated hollow fiber membrane electrodes. Key process conditions such as gas flow rate, potential, and the electrolyte, and their influence on the reaction rate and yield, will be studied to improve process selectivity.
Contacts
Dr. Akash Raman, Postdoctoral researcher, a.raman@utwente.nl
Prof. Marco Altomare, m.altomare@utwente.nl
Dept. Chemical Engineering, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente
References
1. Kas, R., Hummadi, K.K., Kortlever, R., de Wit, P., Milbrat, A., Luiten-Olieman, M.W.J., Benes, N.E., Koper, M.T.M., and Mul, G. (2016). Three-dimensional porous hollow fibre copper electrodes for efficient and high-rate electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction. Nat Commun 7, 10748. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10748.
2. Peng, Y., Song, Y., Razanau, I., Xiao, J., Xiao, W., Hu, D., and Wang, G. (2025). Electrochemical conversion of methane to bridge the gap in the artificial carbon cycle. Journal of Energy Chemistry 100, 286–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jechem.2024.08.050.
3. Vass, A., Mul, G., Katsoukis, G., and Altomare, M. (2024). Challenges in the selective electrochemical oxidation of methane: Too early to surrender. Current Opinion in Electrochemistry 47, 101558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coelec.2024.101558.