Dehydroaromatization of Methane to Benzene, Toluene and Naphthalene in a Fixed Bed Reactor: The Performance of Ultrasonic Modified Mo/ZSM-5 Catalysts

Abstract: Dehydroaromatization of methane to aromatics provides a promising approach to cost-effective use of natural gas. In this study, the ultrasonic method was applied to prepare Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts. The evaluation  Mo/ZSM-5 for methane dehydroaromatization  was carried out in a fixed bed reactor along with an integrated on-line gas chromatography and   mass spectrometry system. The fresh  and spent catalysts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The work shows that Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts prepared with  the ultrasonic method have higher activity and stability than those prepared without use of  ultrasonic method.