Ammonia-assisted reforming and dehydrogenation toward efficient light alkane conversion

The proven world reserves of natural gas are up to 7400 trillion cubic feet, providing cheap and abundant light alkanes as feedstocks for chemical and energy transformation. However, efficient conversion of light alkanes (with inert C-H and C-C bonds) to value-added chemicals with more active functional groups remains a formidable challenge. The conventional catalytic reactions, including steam/dry reforming, oxidative/non-oxidative dehydrogenation, dehydroaromatization, and partial oxidation, have been extensively studied for light alkane conversion, whereas alternative catalytic systems, such as ammonia-assisted reforming and dehydrogenation, have been less studied. Green ammonia from renewable energy has been considered as an important energy carrier; therefore, it could be an important co-reactant for light alkane conversion. This perspective highlights the potential of ammonia reforming (for COx-free H2 and HCN) and dehydrogenation (for acetonitrile and H2) as alternative catalytic processes for efficient light alkane conversion. Ammonia can be employed as an important co-reactant for efficient light alkane conversion. The reaction is achieved through either ammonia reforming (for COx-free H2 and HCN) or ammonia dehydrogenation (for acetonitrile and H2).