The total oxidation of methane was studied over a Pd-Pt/Al2O3 catalyst with selected variations of typical
gaseous emission components of natural gas engines being oxygen, methane, water, carbon dioxide,
higher hydrocarbons, CO, NOx, and SO2. The light-off, durability and reactivation of deactivated samples
were studied. A continuous deactivation ofthe catalyst was observed in methane/air. In situ XAS revealed
a Pd oxidation state +2 under these conditions. No pronounced changes in BET surface area, noble metal
dispersion, and oxidation state were observed for the deactivated samples. However, the deactivation
is accompanied by segregation of Pt and Pd in core–shell bimetallic particles. This deactivation did not
occur in the presence of NOx. The catalyst could furthermore be reactivated in the presence of NOx as
well as by the reduction in hydrogen. Even a small addition of SO2 was observed to have a pronounced
negative impact on the catalyst activity and durability. This deactivation is attributed to the blocking of
active noble metal sites by sulfur compounds, because the number of active sites is drastically reduced
as observed by CO-chemisorption measurements.