CO2 Reforming of Methane over Ni/MgO Catalysts Promoted with Zr and La Oxides

An investigation on carbon dioxide reforming of methane (DRM) to synthesis gas (H-2 and CO) was carried out with several synthesized Ni-based catalysts. Mixed oxide supports (MgO-ZrO2 and MgO-La2O3), were prepared using co-precipitation method with K2CO3 as the precipitant. The findings indicated a high level of catalytic activity and stability of synthesized Ni-based catalysts for DRM. Different techniques, namely, XRD, XPS, H-2-TPR, BET, TEM, FESEM, and TGA, were employed to perform the characterization of synthesized catalysts. It was found that with the addition of promoter Zr, the catalyst Ni/Mg0.85Zr0.15O showed a high level of activity (CH4; 86%, and CO2; 98%) and better stability. The significant anti-coking activity of the reduced catalyst with low Ni metal was evaluated. Furthermore, this research study also examined the performance of the catalyst activity and stability. The results obtained from the temperature program reduction (H-2-TPR) revealed that the presence of ZrO2 with MgO support can enhance Ni reducibility in comparison to La2O3, which is an important indicator of high activity and stability of the Ni catalysts for DRM. It was also found that the presence of La2O3 did not show any effects on the stability of the catalyst.