Investigation on the Performance of Supported Molybdenum Carbide for the Partial Oxidation of Methan

The performance of supported and unsupported molybdenum carbide for the partial oxida-tion of methane (POM) to syngas was investigated. An evaluation of the catalysts indicates that bulkmolybdenum carbide has a higher methane conversion during the initial stage but a lower selectivity toCO and H2/CO ratio in the products. The rapid deactivation of the catalyst is also a significant problem.However, the supported molybdenum carbide catalyst shows a much higher methane conversion, increasedselectivity and significantly improved catalytic stability. The characterization by XRD and BET specificarea measurements depict an improved dispersion of molybdenum carbide when using alumina as a carrier.The bulk or the supported molybdenum carbide exists in the β-Mo2C phase, while it is transformed intomolybdenum dioxide postcatalysis which is an important cause of molybdenum carbide deactivation.