Dry reforming of methane for syngas production over Ni–Co-supported Al2O3–MgO catalysts

Abstract

This research project focuses on the development of catalysts for syngas production by synthesizing Ni-Co bimetallic catalyst using aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3) and magnesium oxide (MgO) as the catalyst support. Ni/Al 2 O 3 (CAT-1), Ni-Co/Al 2 O 3 (CAT-2) and Ni-Co/Al 2 O 3-MgO (CAT-3) nanocatalysts were synthesized by sol-gel method with citric acid as the gelling agent, and used in the dry reforming of methane (DRM). The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of Al 2 O 3 and MgO addition on the catalytic properties and the reaction performance of synthesized catalysts in the DRM reactions. The characteristics of the catalyst are studied using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, H 2-temperature programmed reduction, CO 2-temperature programmed desorption and temperature programmed oxidation analysis. The characteristics of the catalyst are dependent on the type of support, which influences the catalytic performances. FESEM analysis showed that CAT-3 has irregular shape morphology, and is well dispersed onto the catalyst support. BET results demonstrate high surface area of the synthesized catalyst due to high calcination temperature during catalysts preparation. Moreover, the formation of MgAl 2 O 4 spinel-type solution in CAT-3 is proved by XRD analysis due to the interaction between alumina lattice and magnesium metal which has high resistance to coke formation, leading to stronger metal surface interaction within the catalyst. The CO 2 methane dry reforming is executed in the tubular furnace reactor at 1073.15 K, 1 atm and CH 4 /CO 2 ratio of unity to investigate the effect of the mentioned catalysts. Ni-Co/Al 2 O 3-MgO gave the highest catalyst performance compared to the other synthesized catalysts owning to the strong metal-support interaction, high stability and significant resistance to carbon deposition during the DRM reaction.

Development of high-performance nickel-based catalysts for production of hydrogen and carbon nanotubes from biogas

“…In the DRM process, another important component that affects the catalytic performance is catalyst supports, which are beneficial for anti-sintering ability, mechanical strength, and large specific surface area 16 . Many efforts have been devoted to investigate MgO and Al 2 O 3 as support materials because of their availability, high thermal stability, and low cost 33 – 36 . Takenaka et al .…”

Enhancement of Ni-NiO-CeO2 Interaction on Ni–CeO2/Al2O3-MgO Catalyst by Ammonia Vapor Diffusion Impregnation for CO2 Reforming of CH4

“…022-0700) and the MgAl 2 O 4 spinel structure (JCPDS No. 01-084-0377) [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. After calcination in the catalyst preparation, the MgAl hydrotalcite phase is completely transformed into the MgAl 2 O 4 spinel phase, as the pattern of MgAl hydrotalcite cannot be observed in the diffractograms of the calcined catalysts ( Figure 4 a).…”

Development of high-performance nickel-based catalysts for production of hydrogen and carbon nanotubes from biogas

“…In the DRM process, another important component that affects the catalytic performance is catalyst supports, which are beneficial for strong anti-sintering ability, mechanical strength, and large specific surface area 16 . Many efforts have been used MgO and Al2O3 as support materials because of their easy availability, high thermal stability, and low cost [33][34][35][36] . Takenaka et al 37 determined the activity and life of the Co catalysts supported on different supports (MgO, Al2O3, SiO2, and TiO2), and the results showed that the Co/Al2O3 and Co/MgO were more effective catalyst than those of Co/SiO2 and Co/TiO2 which could be explained by the crystallite size of Co metal particles in Co/Al2O3 and Co/MgO have diameters in the range of 10-30 nm that more easily to form CNFs, while the larger ones (> 30 nm) were inactive for methane decomposition reaction.…”