LOW-TEMPERATURE CATALYTIC SELECTIVE PARTIAL OXIDATION OF METHANE TO CO AND H-2 OVER NI/YB2O3

Ni/Yb2O3 showed high activity/selectivity in catalytic oxidative conversion of methane to CO and H2 at low temperatures (300-700-degrees-C) and extremely high space velocity (5 X 10(5) cm3.g-1.h-1) at atmospheric pressure. The low-temperature catalytic process operates far away from the thermodynamic equilibrium and also follows a reaction path totally different from that considered for the high-temperature noncatalytic and catalytic processes. The formation of surface carbon species in the initial reaction period seems to play an important role in the catalytic process.