Oxidative Coupling of Methane on Fe-Doped La₂O₃ Catalyst

Various La₂O₃-based catalysts are well-known to be useful for the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM reaction). We examined the catalytic activities of various La₂O₃-based OCM catalysts for the OCM reaction in the kinetic region (i.e., lower O₂ conversion). Our investigation revealed that the Fe-doped La₂O₃ catalyst is a good candidate for the OCM reaction. The La/Fe ratio of the Fe-doped La₂O₃ catalyst is an important factor for OCM activity. Especially, the O₂-based C₂ yield of the Fe-doped La₂O₃ catalyst was higher than that of La₂O₃ in the case of La/Fe > 5. The Fe-doped La₂O₃ catalyst modified with Na₂O and Na₄P₂O₇ showed high C₂ selectivity (83%). Moreover, modification with Bi compounds also enhanced C₂ selectivity of the Fe-doped La₂O₃ catalyst. This catalyst showed higher C₂ yield than the Fe-doped La₂O₃ catalyst