PURPOSE: To burn methane efficiently and also obtain excellent heat resistance of catalysts by a method wherein the catalysts of which carriers use specified compound oxides and also bear palladium are placed at the early stage and the catalysts of which carriers use the specified compound oxides and also bear a kind of material at least selected from noble metal, the oxides of base metal, and a specified compound oxide are placed at the later stage.

CONSTITUTION: As a carrier covering the surface of a honeycomb-shaped heat resisting substrate, a kind of compound oxides at least selected from BaO-Al2O3, SrO-Al2O3, and CaO-Al2O3 is used and catalysts composed of the said carriers bearing also palladium are placed in an early stage. As a carrier, a kind of compound oxides at least selected from BaO-Al2O3, SrO-Al2O3, and CaO-Al2O3 is used and catalysts composed of the said carriers bearing also a kind of material at least selected from noble metal such as platinum, platinum-rhodium, etc., the oxide of base metal such as Mn, Co, Cr, Fe, etc., and a compound oxide such as LaCoO3, LaMnO3, etc., are placed in a later stage. Then, the catalysts exhibit high activity to methane in a low temp. level and also excellent heat resistance even at a temp. of 1,000°C or more.