The
various morphologies (wire, rod, tube, and flower) of the MnO
x
nanocrystalline catalysts were prepared
using the hydrothermal and solution methods, and the prepared samples
were evaluated for catalytic combustion of methane. The results revealed
that the wire-like MnO2 catalyst showed an excellent performance
in the methane combustion reaction. The light-off temperature related
to 90% of the CH4 conversion was about 400 °C for
the wire-like sample, which was higher than those obtained in other
catalysts with different morphologies. The influence of the different
synthesis factors including the hydrothermal temperature, pH value,
aging time, and calcination temperature on the textural properties
and activity of the catalysts was investigated. The obtained results
confirmed that varying the preparation factors had a considerable
effect on the structure and activity of the catalysts. The sample
synthesized under the specific conditions (T
hydro. = 240 °C, pH = 3, aging time = 24 h, and T
cal. = 400 °C) displayed the highest efficiency
in the methane catalytic combustion process. Furthermore, the effect
of various operating parameters including the gas hourly space velocity,
feed (O2/CH4) ratio, pretreatment condition,
type of solvents, and catalytic stability in the existence of CO2 and steam was studied on the catalytic performance. The results
revealed that the catalyst stability of the optimal MnO2 sample reduced to some extent with the concurrent concentration
of CO2 and water vapor in the reactant feed stream. In
the presence of CO2 or/and H2O, the initial
CH4 activity at 350 °C was below 20%. However, the
long-term stability showed high stability under the dry feed at 450
°C for 50 h.