Microwave-activated carbon dioxide reforming of propane over Ni/TiO2 catalysts

The use of microwave activation in Ni/TiO2-catalyzed carbon dioxide reforming of propane increases the catalytic activity and significantly reduces the coke formation in comparison with conventional thermal heating. During microwave activated reaction, C2—C3 olefins were formed, apart from CO and H2, and the selectivity to olefins reached 6%. It was suggested that exposure to microwave radiation may induce local high-temperature heating of catalytically active phases and catalyst sites, which is not inherent in conventional heating. According to X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS = XANES + EXAFS), unlike conventional thermal heating in a hydrogen flow, on exposure to microwave radiation, the Ni2+ cations are partly reduced to Ni0.