Abstract
tThis study demonstrates that CH3SH (a harmful impurity in natural gas) can be selectively converted intoH2S and hydrocarbons (M2TH process) on H-zeolite/zeotype with diverse topologies. The catalytic activityvaried as follows: H-ZSM-5 > H-Y > H-FER > H-BEA > H-MOR > H-SAPO-34. In addition, H-ZSM-5 was themost stable catalyst toward deactivation by coke. The effect of the carrier gas (nitrogen or methane) andthe role of water on the catalytic behavior of zeolites were explored under different conditions. Similarperformances were obtained using CH3SH/N2or CH3SH/CH4mixtures, but the amount of coke drasticallydecreased and the catalyst lifetime increased when 2% of water was added into the reaction. M2TH wascompared with the well-known MTH (methanol to hydrocarbons) process. Although there are similaritiesbetween the two processes, significant differences were also observed, essentially regarding the productsformed and distributed. These aspects are discussed taking into account the reaction pathway involvedin each process.