Green catalysis for production of chemicals and CO-free hydrogen

The precise control of the anchoring mode of molybdenum inside the channels of a ZSM-5 zeolite, i.e. as monomer or dimer, allowed to increase both the activity and the stability of the Mo/ZSM-5 catalyst for the methane dehydro-aromatisation reaction (MDA). By carefully adjusting the reaction conditions, it has been possible to reach for the first time high yields and at the same time avoid deactivation without addition of any oxidant in the flow. Consequently, the MDA reaction can be regarded as an interesting way to convert small methane feedstocks that are usually flared into valuable aromatic compounds and fuel cell grade hydrogen, completely free of CO.