A Study on MgO Promoted Ni–Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 Catalysts for Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane

Abstract

The carbon dioxide reforming of methane (CDR) has been carried out at a very high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) over MgO promoted Ni-Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalysts. Ni-MgO-Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalyst exhibited higher catalytic activity and stability (CH4 conversion > 95% at a GHSV of 480,000 h-1 for 200 h) than the Ni-Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalyst.The outstanding catalytic performance is mainly due to an intimate interaction between Ni and MgO. The preparation method was optimized to get a highly active and stable MgO promoted Ni-Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalysts. Co-precipitation method produced Ni-MgOCe0.8Zr0.2O2 catalyst having better activity and stability than impregnated catalyst having the same composition. The higher activity and stability of co-precipitated catalyst is related to easy reducibility, high BET surface area, high dispersion and small Ni size. Coprecipitated Ni-MgO-Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalyst can be considered as one of the best catalyst for the CDR reaction.