The effect of oxygen on the aromatization of methane over the Mo/HZSM‐5 catalyst

The aromatization of methane over a Mo/HZSM‐5 catalyst was carried out in the presence of oxygen. It is shown that the addition of a small amount of oxygen is beneficial to improve the durability of the catalyst. UV‐Raman spectra disclose that the carbonaceous deposits formed on the HZSM‐5 are mainly polyolefinic and aromatic, while that on the Mo/HZSM‐5 is mainly polyaromatic. The small amount of O2 added may partly remove the coke deposits on the active sites and keep the catalyst as MoOxCy/HZSM‐5, thus resulting in an improvement of the catalytic performance of the Mo/HZSM‐5 catalyst.