Active Components of Catalysts of Methane Conversion to Synthesis Gas: Brief Perspectives

Abstract

Methane transformation into more valuable products has attracted extensive attention. Synthesis gas is an important intermediate product in the chemical industry. Several syngas production methods are available, depending on the purpose of the industrial application. A major limitation of the processes is the rapid deactivation of the catalyst, which has been commonly attributed to the sintering of the active sites of catalyst and carbon formations on these sites, induced by methane decomposition and CO disproportionation. The catalyst consists of an active component and support. Ceria-based systems have been extensively employed as the support because of their unique redox properties and high oxygen storage capacity. The most promising approach is to design an excellent active site of the catalyst, based on noble or transition metals. A comparison of perspective active components, especially polymetallic components, is considered here.