Partial Oxidation of Methane to Methanol on Cobalt Oxide-Modified Hierarchical ZSM-5

Conversion of methane to more reactive compounds such as methanol has drawn attention for many years. Hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite has been used as support of metal oxide catalyst to facilitate the partial oxidation of methane to methanol. The NaZSM-5 zeolite was synthesized hydrothermally using double-template techniques, in which tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) and polydiallyldiammonium chloride (PDDA) were used as primary and secondary templates, respectively. HZSM-5 was prepared through multiple NH4+ exchange of NaZSM-5 followed by calcination. Co oxide-modified ZSM-5 (Co/NaZSM-5 and Co/HZSM-5) were prepared through impregnation method. Then, the zeolites were extensively characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), AAS, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), 27Al solid-state NMR, microbalance, and surface area analysis. The catalytic test was performed in batch reactor, and the product was analyzed with GC-FID. Reaction condition and acidity of ZSM-5 as support catalyst were studied. As a result, when using Co/HZSM-5 as catalyst, percentage (%) yield of methanol was increased with longer reaction time. On the other hand, the percentage (%) yield decreased when Co/NaZSM-5 was employed. Introduction of trace amount of oxygen to the gas mixture showed different results. Furthermore, the prospect of synthesis of ZSM-5 using natural resources and using biogas are also explored.