Molybdenum oxide reduction using syngas and heat from an inert porous media reactor

•Syngas and heat production in a porous media reactor.•Molybdenum oxide reduction by hydrogen and carbon monoxide.•Numerical and experimental research.•Sensitivity analysis for equivalence ratio and heat transfer between processes.•Reduction degree for the reactor proposed.

A method of molybdenum oxide (MoO3) reduction using both the heat released and gaseous products from hydrocarbon fuels partial oxidation (H2 and CO) in a novel inert porous media reactor is studied. The numerical approach considered a two-temperature model for filtration combustion of methane with a four-step reaction mechanism to solve temperature, H2 and CO production, and MoO3 reduction through shrinking core model. A maximum for molybdenum oxide reduction was found with an increasing equivalence ratio (ϕ). Use of propane resulted in a low reduction degree and a maximum temperature of 641 K for the molybdenum oxide powder. SEM and XRD analysis were conducted on the tested powders. Empirical data predicts a favorable reduction degree for the new reactor proposed.