Direct conversion of methane on Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts to produce benzene and hydrogen: achievements and perspectives

Development of highly effective catalysts for one-stage conversion of light hydrocarbons with high selectivity to valuable products will solve such problems as efficient utilization of natural and oil-associated gases, and environmental protection. Methane dehydroaromatization (DHA) over Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts is a promising process for direct production of valuable aromatic compounds and hydrogen from methane. This review focuses on the range of issues dealing with the effect of catalyst composition, preparation, pretreatment and operation conditions on the physicochemical properties and activities of Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts in DHA reaction. The concepts of the reaction mechanism and the nature of the active molybdenum forms are reviewed. Various aspects of the Mo/ZSM-5 deactivation under reaction conditions and methods of their regeneration are discussed. Some approaches for improvement of the Mo/ZSM-5 performance in DHA reaction are addressed in the review in detail. The perspectives of the methane dehydroaromatization process are also presented.