Direct synthesis of formic acid by partial oxidation of methane on H-ZSM-5 solid acid catalyst

The direct synthesis of formic acid by partial oxidation of methane was studied using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as oxidant with keeping reaction temperature of 373 K and a pressure of 2.6 MPa. High yield (13.0%) and selectivity (66.8%) of formic acid (HCOOH) an important oxygenated compound in chemical industry were achieved using protonated pentasil-type zeolite (H-ZSM-5) as a solid acid catalyst. Tryphenylphosphene (Ph3P) was used as a promoter in reaction system. A fairly large amount of CO2 was also observed as deep oxidation product. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.