Catalysts for methane dry reforming

Ten catalyst samples, with increasing nickel loadings of 4 to 29 wt%, were prepared by impregnation of different nickel precursors on SBA-15 mesoporous silica support. A modified sol-gel method was used to prepare the support, which proved to have a high BET surface area of 834 m²/g, a very well-ordered mesoporous structure and narrow pore size distribution around 7.8 nm. Good dispersion and reasonably high loadings were obtained from less concentrated solutions of nickel acetate precursors, while the highest loading is obtained using nickel nitrate as precursor. The DRM reaction, using a model biogas, CH₄/CO₂ ratio of 1.5:1, was operated isothermally at 550, 600, 650 and 700°C, respectively. Although all catalysts showed high catalytic activity, the activity for those prepared using acetate precursor was higher at all four temperatures.

Author(s): R. Ahmed

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