Ni supported on Fe-doped MgAl2O4 for dry reforming of methane: Use of factorial design to optimize H2 yield

The present paper studied the influence of the concentrations of nickel and iron and the reaction temperature in catalysts tested in the dry reforming of methane, using a factorial design to optimize the H-2 yield (Y-H2). Iron was selected due to its low cost compared with other noble metals and since it can be introduced into the MgAl2O4 spinel structure due to its various oxidation states. The results revealed that Fe was incorporated within the spinel structure, rather than simply forming oxide. The catalytic tests revealed that an increase in the temperature and in the concentration of iron improved significantly the catalytic performance as evidenced by the factorial analysis. The findings showed that increasing the temperature from 650 degrees C to 850 degrees C resulted in an increase of at least 20% in conversions of CH4 and CO2. Through the mathematical model it was possible to estimate a reduction of 61% in the amount of nickel without loss in YH2. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.