Synergetic effects of cerium and nickel in Ce-Ni-MFI catalysts on low-temperature water-gas shift reaction

Synergistic effects between nickel and cerium in catalytic water gas shift reaction (WGSR) have been widely reported, mostly using cerium as an active support coupled with nickel as a dispersed phase. Although, these metals are extensively used in industry, and their price has continuously raised, catalysts containing highly dispersed nickel and cerium are less investigated. This work tackles catalysts with low percentages (0-3 wt%) of well dispersed nickel and cerium in MFI framework. Catalysts containing only incorporated cerium exhibited no activity, while the single metal Ni-MFI series catalyzed the reaction. The prepared Ni-Ce-MFI series synergistically accelerated WGSR even at temperatures as low as 503 K, and some reach equilibrium conversion below 548 K. The catalytic performance increased by nickel content, and catalysts with similar mass percentage of cerium and nickel outperformed others. Furthermore, their maximum reduction temperatures occurred at - 60 K lower, confirming their higher performance in WGSR.