(500b) Highly Selective Nonoxidative Coupling of Methane (NOCM) over Pt-Bi Bimetallic Catalysts

There is widespread interest in converting methane, primary component of natural gas and shale gas, into valuable chemicals. As an important direct methane transformation technique, despite extensive research conducted for decades, oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) remains industrially uneconomic owing to low selectivity towards valuable target products (C2 species, ethane/ethylene). In the present work, we describe that ZSM-5 zeolite supported bimetallic Pt-Bi catalysts stably and selectively convert methane to C2 species with high carbon selectivity (> 90%) at relatively moderate temperatures (600-700 C). Based on experimental observations, it is proposed that the surface Pt in catalysts functions as the active site for methane activation, while Bi addition as promoter plays an important role for C2 species formation and catalyst stability. This is a promising start toward technologies suitable for exploitation on the industrial scale