Aromatization of methane in the absence of oxygen over Mo-based catalysts supported on different types of zeolites

The catalytic performance of Mo-based catalysts supported on various zeolites has been studied for methane aromatization in the absence of oxygen in a fixed-bed continuous-flow quartz reactor, and their catalytic properties are correlated with features of zeolite structure. It was found that H-type silica–alumina zeolites, such as ZSM-5, ZSM-8, ZSM-11 and β possessing two-dimensional structure and pore diameter equaling the dynamic diameter of a benzene molecule (about 6 Å) simultaneously, are fine supports for methane activation and aromatization catalysts. Among them, MoO₃/H-ZSM-11 has the best activity and stability; for instance, a methane conversion of 8.0% and selectivity higher than 90% was obtained at 973 K. The catalytic performance of MoO₃/H-ZSM-8 is somewhat lower than that of MoO₃/H-ZSM-5, while activity of MoO₃/H-β is lower than that of MoO₃/H-ZSM-8. Catalysts supported on H-MCM-41 and H-SAPO-34 exhibit low activity for methane aromatization and those supported on H-MOR, H-X and H-Y give only a little amount of ethylene. Over MoO₃/H-SAPO-5 and MoO₃/H-SAPO-11 no hydrocarbons were detected.