A novel Na2WO4–Mn/SiC monolithic foam catalyst with improved thermal properties for the oxidative coupling of methane

A 5wt%Na2WO4–2wt%Mn/SiC monolithic foam catalyst was applied in the oxidative coupling of methane. This catalyst showed the same high activity as the conventional 5wt%Na2WO4–2wt%Mn/SiO2 catalyst with no dilution gas and a temperature of 850°C (>24% methane conversion, 51% C2 (ethylene and ethane) selectivity), but also an excellent heat transfer feature as the significant hot spots did not occur in the catalyst bed. The SiC- and SiO2-supported catalysts were characterized by BET, SEM, XRD and XPS, respectively.