Complete oxidation of methane at low temperature over noble metal based catalysts:: a review

This review examines recent developments in the complete oxidation of methane at low temperature over noble metal based catalysts in patents and open literature. The abatement of natural gas vehicle (NGV) methane emissions is taken as one example among possible applications. The review develops current ideas about the properties of palladium and platinum catalysts supported on silica and alumina supports in the complete oxidation of methane under oxidising conditions, focusing on low-temperature reaction conditions. The influence of residual chloride ions on the catalytic activity, the kinetic aspects of the oxidation of methane over these catalysts, the nature of the active sites, the influence of metal particle size and reaction products on the activity, the observed changes in catalytic activity with reaction time and the effect of sulphur containing compounds are examined. The latest studies concerned with improved palladium and platinum supported catalysts which would exhibit enhanced and stable catalytic activity at low temperature in the presence of water and sulphur containing compounds are reported. Possible routes for preparing catalysts able to meet future regulations concerning methane emissions from lean-burn NGV vehicles are discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.