Methane Aromatization over Cobalt and Gallium -Impregnated HZSM-5 Catalysts

The influence of the catalyst acidity, the ratio of cobalt in the catalyst on the conversion of methane and the stability were evaluated using a fixed-bed microreactor at atmospheric pressure and at a flow rate of 1500 mL/g h (GHSV 600 h−1). The reaction was conducted at 973 K and 1023 K over gallium and cobalt -impregnated HZSM-5 catalysts. The 2%Ga–2% Co/HZSM-5 catalyst exhibited remarkable stability with no significant deactivation for 100 h on stream, and yielded a maximum conversion of methane to benzene equal to 9.9%. These catalysts were thoroughly characterized using XRD, N2 adsorption measurements, TPD of NH3 and FT-IR. The acidity changes severely affected aromatization, and resulted in drastic modifications in product distribution. From this work, we found that only a small fraction of tetrahedral framework aluminum, which corresponds to the Bronsted acid sites, is sufficient to accomplish the aromatization of the intermediates in methane aromatization reaction, while the superfluous strong Bronsted acid sites, which can be decreased by adding Ga and Co, are shown to be related with the aromatic carbonaceous deposits on the catalysts. After adding Ga and Co the strength of Lewis acid sites of the catalyst increased. But the total amount of the acidity on the catalyst decreased.