Hydrothermal post-synthesis of HMCM-49 to enhance the catalytic performance of the Mo/HMCM-49 catalyst for methane dehydroaromatization

Hydrothermal post-synthesis of a HMCM-49 zeolite in Al(NO3)3 aqueous solution mediated the acidic property and the pore structure through a dynamic extraction and incorporation of aluminum species between the solution and the framework. This treatment promoted the dispersion of Mo species over the zeolite, and the resultant Mo/HMCM-49 catalyst exhibited significantly enhanced performance for the methane dehydroaromatization reaction with higher methane conversion and benzene formation rate. It was revealed that relatively less inert coke was deposited on the Mo/HMCM-49 catalyst mainly due to the removal of the strong acidic sites.