Currently the majority of carbon-based feedstocks come from fossil fuels of which there are a finite supply. Methane is an abundantly available carbon-based feedstock, with large amounts now available through fracking and renewable sources available from biogas plants. However, methane is not very chemically reactive. One of the remaining “grand challenges” in chemistry is the development of clean, efficient, affordable processes that allow methane to be converted to other high value molecules. Highlighting the recent advances in methane activation and direct conversion processes this book discusses the progress and current state of the art for a wide variety of alternative methane activation and subsequent conversion processes, including homogeneous- and heterogeneous catalytic, electrocatalytic and pyrolytic systems. It is a useful resource for anyone working in green chemistry, catalysis and chemical engineering.

This Multiphase Reactors book is about fundamentals, selection, design, development (scale-up) and applications of two- and three-phase reactors. It is a graduate textbook focused on creating understanding of the fundamentals, as much as possible without resorting to mathematics. It also is full of real-life industrial applications and examples from the authors’ own experiences. The target audience comprises students and industrial practitioners who may or may not have had formal training in chemical reaction engineering. Each chapter explains the subject and contains take home messages, examples, worked out cases, quiz questions, and exercises.