Lectures -- Natural Gas: Fuel or Feedstock? -- Molecular Chemistry of Alkane Activation -- Economics of Alkane Conversion -- Theoretical Basis of the Activation of Light Alkanes -- Surface Organometallic Chemistry of Tantalum: Application to the Metathesis of Alkanes Catalyzed by a Tantalum Hydride Supported on Silica -- The Challenges in Converting Remote Natural Gas to Valuable Products -- Alternative Routes to Synfuel from Natural Gas -- New Technologies for Light Alkane Upgrading -- Fundamentals of the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis -- Reactor Technology for Syngas and Hydrogen -- Engineering Alkanes to Olefins and Higher Value Chemicals -- Membrane Reactors for the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis -- Sources of Methane for Sustainable Development -- Communications -- CO2 Separation by Membranes in Natural Gas Processing -- Structural and Textural Properties of MCM-41 Mesoporous Molecular Sieves Containing Nb, V, Mo — Alternative Catalysts for Hydrocarbons Oxidation -- Acidic and Catalytic Properties of Dealuminated BEA Zeolites -- Influence of the H-Ferrierite Sample on the Selectivity of Skeletal N-Butene Isomerization -- Study on the Lattice Defects in the Mixed Oxides of Neodymium and Alkaline Earth Elements and Their Role on the Oxidative Coupling of Methane -- Molecular Mechanism of the Methane Dissociation on the Vanadium Oxides Clusters. DFT Calculations -- Acidity, Activity and Micro-Kinetics Studies in an H-ZSM5 -- Microkinetic Model for Propane Activation over H-ZSM5 -- 13C MAS NMR Mechanistic Study of the Initial Stages of Propane Activation over Zn/H-MFI Catalyst -- Dehydrogenation of Propane over Chromium-Based Catalysts -- Catalytic Oxidation of Methanol to Formaldehyde -- Conversion of Gas Condensate over Metal-Containing MFI Catalysts -- Coke Formation on Alumina and Alumina Supported Platinum Catalysts -- Activation Studies of the Cs-Doped Cu/ZnO Catalyst for the Higher Alcohol Synthesis -- Development of High Temperature Catalytic Reactors for Oxidative Conversion of Natural Gas -- The Effect of Process Conditions on Product Formation in Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis -- Mathematical Modeling of Steam Reforming Tubes with Shaped Particles -- Application of NMR Microimaging for the Investigation of the Heterogeneous Catalytic Reactions Inside Catalyst Pellets and Fixed Catalyst Bed -- Conclusions -- Natural Gas as Feedstock -- Sustainable Strategies for the Upgrading of Natural Gas.

Energy and feedstock materials for the chemical industry are in increasing demand and, with constraints related to the availability and use of oil, the energy and chemical industry is undergoing considerable changes. In recent years, major restructuring has occurred in the oil, petrochemical, and chemical industry, with increasing attention devoted to the use of natural gas, methane in particular, as a chemical feedstock rather than just as a fuel. The conversion of remote natural gas into liquid fuels or other transportable chemicals is a challenge to industrial catalysis. Few processes exist so far with the major ones involving the conversion of natural gas to synthesis gas by steam reforming, CO2 reforming, or partial oxidation, followed by the syntheses of methanol, hydrocarbons (Fischer-Tropsch synthesis), or ammonia. In this book, a comprehensive overview of the field of processing natural gas is given, through a series of chapters written by leading scientists and engineers in the field. New developments are discussed and current work relevant to the area is shown by a series of recent works by researchers working in this and related fields.