Methane partial oxidation over Rh/ZSM-5 catalysts in a high-pressure continuous flow reactor

Authors

• A. K.M. Kazi Aurnob, Cain Department of Chemical Engineering
• Mark B.F. Berko, Cain Department of Chemical Engineering
• Jialin Yu, Imperial College London
• David Chadwick, Imperial College London
• Kang Li, Imperial College London
• Richard J. Lewis, Cardiff University
• Thomas Davies, Cardiff University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2026

Abstract

Zeolite-supported Rh catalysts have been shown to be highly effective in catalyzing the oxidative carbonylation of methane to produce acetic acid. However, most of the research reported so far employed high-pressure batch reactors with long residence times. Continuous flow reactors have been seldomly used, with the majority of earlier works focused on ambient pressure studies. In this contribution, we constructed a high-pressure continuous flow reactor with steam cofeeding to bridge the knowledge gap that exists between these two distinct approaches. The production of CH3OH, CH3COOH, and other oxygenates, using a reactant mixture of CH4, CO, O2, and steam, was observed over Rh/ZSM-5 catalysts. The primary oxygenates, CH3OH and CH3COOH, reached productivities of 45 and 102 µmol/(gcat.•h), respectively. The influence of space velocity, Rh loading, Si/Al ratio of the zeolite support, and CO partial pressure were investigated.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Catalysis Today

Recommended Citation

Kazi Aurnob, A., Berko, M., Yu, J., Chadwick, D., Li, K., Lewis, R., & Davies, T. (2026). Methane partial oxidation over Rh/ZSM-5 catalysts in a high-pressure continuous flow reactor. Catalysis Today, 462 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115558