Methane derived from natural gas has the potential to be a CO2-free source of dihydrogen and various chemicals used in petrochemistry. Two direct processes allow this transformation: oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) producing ethane or ethylene and nonoxidative methane dehydroaromatization (MDA) producing benzene and dihydrogen. 

Illustration made for the cover of ACS Catalysis vol.12 n°23, for the article Catalytic Routes for Direct Methane Conversion to Hydrocarbons and Hydrogen: Current State and Opportunities