Abstract
The current study reviews the recent development in the direct conversion of methane into syngas, methanol, light olefins, and aromatic compounds. For syngas production, nickel‐based catalysts are considered as a good choice. Methane conversion (84%) is achieved with nearly no coke formation when the 7% Ni‐1%Au/Al2O3 catalyst is used in the steam reforming of methane (SRM), whereas for dry reforming of methane (DRM), a methane conversion of 17.9% and CO2 conversion of 23.1% are found for 10%Ni/ZrOx MnOx/SiO2 operated at 500 °C. The progress of direct conversion of methane to methanol is also summarized with an insight into its selectivity and/or conversion, which shows that in liquid‐phase heterogeneous systems, high selectivity (>80%) can be achieved at 50 °C, but the conversion is low. The latest development of non‐oxidative coupling of methane (NOCM) and oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) for the production of olefins is also reviewed. The Mn2O3–TiO2–Na2WO4/SiO2 catalyst is reported to show the high C2 yield (22%) and a high selectivity toward C2 (62%) during the OCM at 650 °C. For NOCM, 98% selectivity of ethane can be achieved when a tantalum hydride catalyst supported on silica is used. In addition, the Mo‐based catalysts are the most suitable for the preparation of aromatic compounds from methane.
Highlights
Methane is the main component of natural gas with a typical volumetric fraction of about 70-90% 1, 2
Due to the highly stable bonds between the C atom and the four H atoms, the steam reforming of methane has to be conducted at high temperatures and high steam to carbon ratios (S/C) 5-7, while the dry reforming of methane (DRM) still faces technical problems such as severe coke formation 8-10
The low temperature conversion of methane into syngas is reviewed with a focus on the catalysts that had been developed for the steam reforming of methane (SRM) and the dry reforming of methane (DRM) together with the measures that had been proposed for the mitigation of coke formation during these two processes
Summary
Methane is the main component of natural gas with a typical volumetric fraction of about 70-90% 1, 2. Syngas is made of H2 and CO, which plays an important role in chemical industry because it is the feedstock for the manufacture of a wide range of chemicals, such as ammonia, acetic acid, MTBE, methanol, olefins, gasoline, phosgene, oxo-alcohols and synthetic liquid fuels 3 It can be generated using raw materials such as coal, biomass, petroleum coke and natural gas, its production using natural gas as the feedstock is the most cost-effective option 4. Direct conversion of methane to methanol (DMTM) through the oxidation of methane is highly desirable due to its better process economics and greater environmental benefits as compared with indirect methane-based methanol production. This route is of significant challenges, such as low selectivity and low conversion efficiency 13. The progress of the development of catalysts for this purpose is summarized with a special focus on the Mo-based catalysts for aromatic compounds production at low temperatures
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