Selective oxidation of methane to synthesis gas using transition metal catalysts

TLDR: In this article, it was shown that the partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas can be carried out at temperatures of only ∼775 °C by using lanthanide ruthenium oxide catalysts.

Abstract: THE diminishing reserves of petroleum oil have focused attention on the possibility of making more efficient use of natural gas, reserves of which are at present considerably under-utilized. Methane is commonly used as a fuel, but it is also the starting material for the production, by steam reforming, of synthesis gas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen), which acts as a feedstock for the synthesis of ammonia and methanol, and can be converted to higher hydrocarbons, alcohols and aldehydes by Fischer–Tropsch catalysis1. The partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas is also an established industrial process2 but operates at very high temperatures (> 1,200 °C). Here we report that this reaction can be carried out at temperatures of only ∼775 °C by using lanthanide ruthenium oxide catalysts.