Total Oxidation of Methane on Oxide and Mixed Oxide Ceria-Containing Catalysts

Recent advances in abatement of methane and sulfur hexafluoride non-CO2 greenhouse gases under dual-carbon target

With the clarification of the CO2 abatement targets and pathways, the management and control of non-CO2 greenhouse gases (GHGs) have been widely emphasized. As the potent GHGs restricted by the Kyoto Protocol, methane (CH4) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) emissions contribute to a significant and increasing share of the total global GHG emissions, resulting in a continuous impact on the environment. Hence, the abatement of CH4 and SF6, the potent GHGs, is a matter of urgency. This paper focuses on recent advances in abatement of lean CH4 and SF6 waste gas. Firstly, a systematic review of abatement technologies for lean CH4 is presented, and two methods, namely, pressure swing adsorption and catalytic combustion, are emphasized. Additionally, the current status of four mainstream methods such as adsorption separation, thermal (catalytic) degradation, photocatalytic degradation, and non-thermal plasma degradation, as well as emerging technologies for SF6 abatement are summarized, and the inherent shortcomings and industrialization potentials of each technology are analyzed from multiple perspectives. This review demonstrates that, under dual-carbon target, existing abatement technologies are inadequate to meet the complex and diverse demands of the power and coal industries. There are many drawbacks for lean CH4 abatement technologies such as high investment in utilization devices, low processing capacity, high operating cost and requirement of high CH4 concentration. Degradation technologies for SF6 waste gas also suffer from low energy efficiency, high investment in catalytic degradation devices, and secondary pollution of degradation products. Based on this, two large-scale processing schemes with high feasibility are proposed. Finally, the current research hotspots, challenges, and future directions are put forward. This review aims to contribute some new perspectives to the abatement efforts of non-CO2 GHGs, so that the dual-carbon target can be realized as soon as possible.

Methane Catalytic Combustion under Lean Conditions over Pristine and Ir-Loaded La1-xSrxMnO3 Perovskites: Efficiency, Hysteresis, and Time-on-Stream and Thermal Aging Stabilities

The increasing use of natural gas as an efficient, reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy source, compared with other fossil fuels, has brought the catalytic CH4 complete oxidation reaction into the spotlight as a simple and economic way to control the amount of unconverted methane escaping into the atmosphere. CH4 emissions are a major contributor to the 'greenhouse effect', and therefore, they need to be effectively reduced. Catalytic CH4 oxidation is a promising method that can be used for this purpose. Detailed studies of the activity, oxidative thermal aging, and the time-on-stream (TOS) stability of pristine La1-xSrxMnO3 perovskites (LSXM; X = % substitution of La with Sr = 0, 30, 50 and 70%) and iridium-loaded Ir/La1-xSrxMnO3 (Ir/LSXM) perovskite catalysts were conducted in a temperature range of 400-970 °C to achieve complete methane oxidation under excess oxygen (lean) conditions. The effect of X on the properties of the perovskites, and thus, their catalytic performance during heating/cooling cycles, was studied using samples that were subjected to various pretreatment conditions in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the structure-activity/stability correlations. Large (up to ca. 300 °C in terms of T50) inverted volcano-type differences in catalytic activity were found as a function of X, with the most active catalysts being those where X = 0%, and the least active were those where X = 50%. Inverse hysteresis phenomena (steady-state rate multiplicities) were revealed in heating/cooling cycles under reaction conditions, the occurrence of which was found to depend strongly on the employed catalyst pre-treatment (pre-reduction or pre-oxidation), while their shape and the loop amplitude were found to depend on X and the presence of Ir. All findings were consistently interpreted, which involved a two-term mechanistic model that utilized the synergy of Eley-Rideal and Mars-van Krevelen kinetics.

Novel Mesoporous and Multilayered Yb/N-Co-Doped CeO2 with Enhanced Oxygen Storage Capacity

A cubic fluorite-type CeO2 with mesoporous multilayered morphology was synthesized by the solvothermal method followed by calcination in air, and its oxygen storage capacity (OSC) was quantified by the amount of O2 consumption per gram of CeO2 based on hydrogen temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR) measurements. Doping CeO2 with ytterbium (Yb) and nitrogen (N) ions proved to be an effective route to improving its OSC in this work. The OSC of undoped CeO2 was 0.115 mmol O2/g and reached as high as 0.222 mmol O2/g upon the addition of 5 mol.% Yb(NO3)3∙5H2O, further enhanced to 0.274 mmol O2/g with the introduction of 20 mol.% triethanolamine. Both the introductions of Yb cations and N anions into the CeO2 lattice were conducive to the formation of more non-stoichiometric oxygen vacancy (VO) defects and reducible-reoxidizable Cen+ ions. To determine the structure performance relationships, the partial least squares method was employed to construct two linear functions for the doping level vs. lattice parameter and [VO] vs. OSC/SBET.

Catalytic Activity of LaFe0.4Ni0.6O3/CeO2 Composites in CO and CH4 Oxidation Depending on Their Preparation Conditions

LaFe_0.4Ni_0.6O₃/CeO₂ (1:1) two-phase composite materials were prepared by mechanochemical (MC) and Pechini routes. The catalytic properties of the composites in methane and CO oxidation reactions strongly depend on their preparation conditions. In low-temperature (<600 °C) catalytic CO oxidation the composites demonstrate a higher activity compared with LaFe_0.4Ni_0.6O₃ perovskite. The highest activity was observed for the composite prepared by mechanical treatment of perovskite and fluorite precursors. There is a correlation between activity and the content of weakly bound surface oxygen species. Catalytic activity in high-temperature (>750 °C) catalytic methane oxidation correlates with the reducibility of samples. The highest activity was observed for the composite prepared by the one-pot Pechini route with higher reducibility of the sample up to 600 °C.

Rational Design of Precious-Metal Single-Atom Catalysts for Methane Combustion

Supported precious-metal single-atom catalysts (PM SACs) have emerged as a new frontier of high-performance catalytic material with 100% atom utilization efficiency. However, the rational design of such material with guidance from fundamental understandings of the structure-activity relationship remains challenging. Here, we report the synthesis, characterizations, and mechanistic investigation of various PM SACs supported on nanoceria for CH₄ combustion. Using density functional theory, two descriptors as the d-band center of PMs and oxygen vacancy formation energy are established, which jointly govern the reactivity for CH₄ combustion. These descriptors are thus applied to predict a dual SAC consisting of proximate Pd and Rh sites, demonstrating a remarkable improvement versus Pd or Rh catalyst, respectively. Our results reveal the general strategy of integrating experimental and computational efforts for investigation of various PM SACs in methane combustion, thus paving the way for the next generation of advanced catalytic materials.

Recent progress of catalytic methane combustion over transition metal oxide catalysts

Methane (CH4) is one of the cleanest fossil fuel resources and is playing an increasingly indispensable role in our way to carbon neutrality, by providing less carbon-intensive heat and electricity worldwide. On the other hand, the atmospheric concentration of CH4 has raced past 1,900 ppb in 2021, almost triple its pre-industrial levels. As a greenhouse gas at least 86 times as potent as carbon dioxide (CO2) over 20 years, CH4 is becoming a major threat to the global goal of deviating Earth temperature from the +2°C scenario. Consequently, all CH4-powered facilities must be strictly coupled with remediation plans for unburned CH4 in the exhaust to avoid further exacerbating the environmental stress, among which catalytic CH4 combustion (CMC) is one of the most effective strategies to solve this issue. Most current CMC catalysts are noble-metal-based owing to their outstanding C–H bond activation capability, while their high cost and poor thermal stability have driven the search for alternative options, among which transition metal oxide (TMO) catalysts have attracted extensive attention due to their Earth abundance, high thermal stability, variable oxidation states, rich acidic and basic sites, etc. To date, many TMO catalysts have shown comparable catalytic performance with that of noble metals, while their fundamental reaction mechanisms are explored to a much less extent and remain to be controversial, which hinders the further optimization of the TMO catalytic systems. Therefore, in this review, we provide a systematic compilation of the recent research advances in TMO-based CMC reactions, together with their detailed reaction mechanisms. We start with introducing the scientific fundamentals of the CMC reaction itself as well as the unique and desirable features of TMOs applied in CMC, followed by a detailed introduction of four different kinetic reaction models proposed for the reactions. Next, we categorize the TMOs of interests into single and hybrid systems, summarizing their specific morphology characterization, catalytic performance, kinetic properties, with special emphasis on the reaction mechanisms and interfacial properties. Finally, we conclude the review with a summary and outlook on the TMOs for practical CMC applications. In addition, we also further prospect the enormous potentials of TMOs in producing value-added chemicals beyond combustion, such as direct partial oxidation to methanol.

Techniques of Preparation of Thin Films: Catalytic Combustion

Over the past several decades, an increasing amount of attention has been given to catalytic combustion as an environmentally friendly process. However, major impediments to large-scale application still arise on the materials side. Here, we review catalytic combustion on thin film catalysts in view of highlighting some interesting features. Catalytic films open the way for new designs of structured catalysts and the construction of catalysts for catalytic combustion. A special place is occupied by materials in the form of very thin films that reveal catalytic activity for various chemical reactions. In this review, we demonstrate the high catalytic activity of thin film catalysts in these oxidation reactions.

Comparative Study of the Efficiency of Different Noble Metals Supported on Hydroxyapatite in the Catalytic Lean Methane Oxidation under Realistic Conditions

The combustion of lean methane was studied over palladium, rhodium, platinum, and ruthenium catalysts supported on hydroxyapatite (HAP). The samples were prepared by wetness impregnation and thoroughly characterized by BET, XRD, UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, H₂-TPR, OSC, CO chemisorption, and TEM techniques. It was found that the Pd/HAP and Rh/HAP catalysts exhibited a higher activity compared with Pt/HAP and Ru/HAP samples. Thus, the degree of oxidation of the supported metal under the reaction mixture notably influenced its catalytic performance. Although Pd and Rh catalysts could be easily re-oxidized, the re-oxidation of Pt and Ru samples appeared to be a slow process, resulting in small amounts of metal oxide active sites. Feeding water and CO₂ was found to have a negative effect, which was more pronounced in the presence of water, on the activity of Pd and Rh catalysts. However, the inhibiting effect of CO₂ and H₂O decreased by increasing the reaction temperature.