Reduction kinetics of SrFeO3−δ/CaO·MnO nanocomposite as effective oxygen carrier for chemical looping partial oxidation of methane

Chemical looping reforming of methane is a novel and effective approach to convert methane to syngas, in which oxygen transfer is achieved by a redox material. Although lots of efforts have been made to develop high-performance redox materials, a few studies have focused on the redox kinetics. In this work, the kinetics of SrFeO3−δ−CaO·MnO nanocomposite reduction by methane was investigated both on a thermo-gravimetric analyzer and in a packed-bed microreactor. During the methane reduction, combustion occurs before the partial oxidation and there exists a transition between them. The weight loss due to combustion increases, but the transition region becomes less inconspicuous as the reduction temperature increased. The weight loss associated with the partial oxidation is much larger than that with combustion. The rate of weight loss related to the partial oxidation is well fitted by the Avrami—Erofeyev equation with n = 3 (A3 model) with an activation energy of 59.8 kJ·mol−1. The rate law for the partial oxidation includes a solid conversion term whose expression is given by the A3 model and a methane pressure-dependent term represented by a power law. The partial oxidation is half order with respect to methane pressure. The proposed rate law could well predict the reduction kinetics; thus, it may be used to design and/or analyze a chemical looping reforming reactor.