Production of Methanol on PdCu/ATO in a Polymeric Electrolyte Reactor of the Fuel Cell Type from Methane

The search for alternatives for converting methane into value-added products has been of great interest to scientific, technological, and industrial society. An alternative to this could be the use of copper-doped palladium catalysts with different proportions supported on metal oxides, such as Sb2O5.SnO2 (ATO) catalysts. These combinations were employed to convert the methane-to-methanol in mild condition using a fuel cell polymer electrolyte reactor. The catalysts prepared presents Pd, CuO, and Sb2O5.SnO2 phases with a mean particle size of about 9 nm. In activity experiments, the Pd80Cu20/ATO indicated maximum power density and maximum rate reaction for methanol production when compared to other PdCu/ATO materials. The use of ATO as a support favored the production of methanol from methane, while PdCu with high copper content demonstrated the production of more oxidized compounds, such as carbonate and formate.