Methane oxidation in palladium/zeolite catalysts: Facilitating palladium oxide formation and elucidating the reaction mechanism

Pd/zeolite catalysts are a promising alternative to conventional Pd/Al₂O₃ for CH₄ oxidation in wet conditions. Understanding how PdO nanoparticle formation is affected by the Pd loading and the zeolite Si/Al molar ratio as well as the mechanistic CH₄ oxidation pathways is vital. This review discusses the current advances in Pd/zeolites for CH₄ oxidation, the PdO properties for improved performance, and the underlying reaction mechanism. The effect of the PdO amount, dispersion, and confinement, particularly in highly siliceous zeolites, on the CH₄ oxidation performance is examined, followed by a review of computational mechanistic studies.