Alternative Oxidants for the Catalytic Oxidative Coupling of Methane

Abstract The catalytic oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) to C 2 hydrocarbons with oxygen (O 2 ‐OCM) has garnered renewed worldwide interest in the past decade due to the emergence of enormous new shale gas resources. However, the C 2 selectivity of typical OCM processes is significantly challenged by overoxidation to CO x products. Other gaseous reagents such as N 2 O, CO 2 , and S 2 have been investigated to a far lesser extent as alternative, milder oxidants to replace O 2 . Although several authoritative review articles have summarized OCM research progress in depth, recent oxidative coupling developments using alternative oxidants (X‐OCM) have not been overviewed in detail. In this perspective, we review and analyze OCM research results reporting the implementation of N 2 O, CO 2 , S 2 , and other non‐O 2 oxidants, highlighting the unique chemistries of these systems and their advantages/challenges compared to O 2 ‐OCM. Current outlook and potential areas for future study are also discussed.