Partial oxidation of methane (POxM) was studied over Ru catalyst supported on alumina (1%, w/w). The catalyst was prepared via microemulsion (ME) and coated onto cordierite monoliths. Samples were characterized by XRD, BET surface area, SEM-EDS and TPR and TPO analyses. The catalyst showed high methane conversion with very good selectivity towards CO and H-2 under every condition tested. The effects of GHSV and heating rate (HR) were investigated, recording composition data both during heating and cooling. This allowed to evidence hysteresis cycles and to obtain additional information on the reactions occurring within the monolith. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.