Disclosed is a method for producing a target compound, in which a first gas mixture includes an olefin having a first carbon number and carbon monoxide, a second gas mixture formed using the first gas mixture and containing the olefin, hydrogen and carbon monoxide, is subjected to conversion steps to obtain a third gas mixture containing a compound with a second carbon number and at least carbon monoxide The conversion includes hydroformylation. The second carbon number is one greater than the first carbon number. Using at least a portion of the third gas mixture, a fourth gas mixture which is depleted in the compound has three carbon atoms, is enriched in carbon monoxide, and is formed using at least a portion of the third gas mixture The carbon monoxide in at least a portion of the fourth gas mixture is subjected to a water gas shift to form hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and that the hydrogen formed in the water gas shift is used in the formation of the second gas mixture.

Disclosed is a method for producing a target compound, in which a first gas mixture includes an olefin having a first carbon number and carbon monoxide, a second gas mixture formed using the first gas mixture and containing the olefin, hydrogen and carbon monoxide, is subjected to conversion steps to obtain a third gas mixture containing a compound with a second carbon number and at least carbon monoxide The conversion includes hydroformylation. The second carbon number is one greater than the first carbon number. Using at least a portion of the third gas mixture, a fourth gas mixture which is depleted in the compound has three carbon atoms, is enriched in carbon monoxide, and is formed using at least a portion of the third gas mixture The carbon monoxide in at least a portion of the fourth gas mixture is subjected to a water gas shift to form hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and that the hydrogen formed in the water gas shift is used in the formation of the second gas mixture.

A product made by a substantially zero-carbon-emission (ZCE) process for making propylene polymers and copolymers including: converting alkanes to the olefin monomers ethylene, propylene, and butene or combinations thereof, using renewable electric power and scrubbing the stack gases from any fired heaters or boilers to remove carbon dioxide, in an oxidative-coupling of methane plant including the steps of passing alkanes through an ethylene plant while adding oxygen, passing a portion of the polymerization grade ethylene through a 2-butene plant, and passing the 2-butene stream and a portion of the polymerization grade ethylene stream through a propylene plant. The polymerization grade propylene is polymerized to produce isotactic homopolymer polypropylene, or ethylene-propylene random copolymer, or impact-grade polypropylene containing ethylene-propylene rubber.

A product made by a substantially zero-carbon-emission (ZCE) process for making propylene polymers and copolymers including: converting alkanes to the olefin monomers ethylene, propylene, and butene or combinations thereof, using renewable electric power and scrubbing the stack gases from any fired heaters or boilers to remove carbon dioxide, in an oxidative-coupling of methane plant including the steps of passing alkanes through an ethylene plant while adding oxygen, passing a portion of the polymerization grade ethylene through a 2-butene plant, and passing the 2-butene stream and a portion of the polymerization grade ethylene stream through a propylene plant. The polymerization grade propylene is polymerized to produce isotactic homopolymer polypropylene, or ethylene-propylene random copolymer, or impact-grade polypropylene containing ethylene-propylene rubber.

Vortex arc reactor apparatus and method provide a nozzle with converging, throat, and diverging portions. Input structure inputs a reactant and an oxidant into the converging portion. Ignition structure ignites the input reactant and oxidant. A vortex-creating structure creates a vortex of the ignited reactant and oxidant in the converging portion. The input structure, the vortex-creating structure, and the nozzle converging and throat portions are configured to provide a throat-portion-vortex of ignited reactant and oxidant that has an angular velocity which provides (i) negatively-charged particles in an exterior portion of the throat-portion-vortex, (ii) positively-charged particles in an interior portion of the throat-portion-vortex, and (iii) at least one arcing reaction between the positively-charged particles and the negatively-charged particles, to form syngas and at least one aromatic liquid in the nozzle diverging portion. Gas/liquid separation structure is preferably configured to separate the formed syngas from the at least one aromatic liquid.

Vortex arc reactor apparatus and method provide a nozzle with converging, throat, and diverging portions. Input structure inputs a reactant and an oxidant into the converging portion. Ignition structure ignites the input reactant and oxidant. A vortex-creating structure creates a vortex of the ignited reactant and oxidant in the converging portion. The input structure, the vortex-creating structure, and the nozzle converging and throat portions are configured to provide a throat-portion-vortex of ignited reactant and oxidant that has an angular velocity which provides (i) negatively-charged particles in an exterior portion of the throat-portion-vortex, (ii) positively-charged particles in an interior portion of the throat-portion-vortex, and (iii) at least one arcing reaction between the positively-charged particles and the negatively-charged particles, to form syngas and at least one aromatic liquid in the nozzle diverging portion. Gas/liquid separation structure is preferably configured to separate the formed syngas from the at least one aromatic liquid.

A system for oxidative conversion of a mixed hydrocarbon feed stream to a product stream containing at least one olefin is provided. The system includes a plurality of reactors each capable of oxidatively dehydrogenating at least a portion of a hydrocarbon in the mixed hydrocarbon feed, and each reactor able to operate at different set of reaction conditions from other reactors in the plurality of reactors. All of the reactors use the same oxygen transfer agent to produce at least one olefin. In some embodiments, at least one reactor is optimized to oxidatively couple methane to produce ethylene, while other reactors are optimized to oxidatively dehydrogenate ethane to ethylene or to oxidatively dehydrogenate propane to ethylene and/or propylene. All of the reactors feed into a single regeneration unit for the oxygen transfer agent. A method of oxidatively converting the mixed hydrocarbon feed to an olefin is also provided.

A system for oxidative conversion of a mixed hydrocarbon feed stream to a product stream containing at least one olefin is provided. The system includes a plurality of reactors each capable of oxidatively dehydrogenating at least a portion of a hydrocarbon in the mixed hydrocarbon feed, and each reactor able to operate at different set of reaction conditions from other reactors in the plurality of reactors. All of the reactors use the same oxygen transfer agent to produce at least one olefin. In some embodiments, at least one reactor is optimized to oxidatively couple methane to produce ethylene, while other reactors are optimized to oxidatively dehydrogenate ethane to ethylene or to oxidatively dehydrogenate propane to ethylene and/or propylene. All of the reactors feed into a single regeneration unit for the oxygen transfer agent. A method of oxidatively converting the mixed hydrocarbon feed to an olefin is also provided.

Improvements in the commercial viability of oxygen transfer agents (OTAs) and/or catalysts associated with the OCM and the ODH of hydrocarbons to olefins through enhancement of one or more of the selectivity, yield, rate and lifetime of the OTA and/or catalyst is described by one or more of (i) exposing the OTA or the catalyst to a sulfur-containing compound at a site or at a time that is different from where and when the saturated hydrocarbon is converted by the OTA or the catalyst to an unsaturated hydrocarbon; (ii) increasing the particle density of the OTA or the catalyst by treating the OTA or the catalyst with a reducing agent at a site different from where the saturated hydrocarbon is converted by the OTA or by the catalyst to an unsaturated hydrocarbon; and (iii) removing non-selective redox oxygen (NSRO) present on the OTA by subjecting the OTA to a gas that is substantially free of any molecular oxygen.

The present disclosure provides oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) systems for small scale and world scale production of olefins. An OCM system may comprise an OCM subsystem that generates a product stream comprising C.sub.2+ compounds and non-C.sub.2+ impurities from methane and an oxidizing agent. At least one separations subsystem downstream of, and fluidically coupled to, the OCM subsystem can be used to separate the non-C.sub.2+ impurities from the C.sub.2+ compounds. A methanation subsystem downstream and fluidically coupled to the OCM subsystem can be used to react H.sub.2 with CO and/or CO.sub.2 in the non-C.sub.2+ impurities to generate methane, which can be recycled to the OCM subsystem. The OCM system can be integrated in a non-OCM system, such as a natural gas liquids system or an existing ethylene cracker.