Carbon dioxide reforming of methane for syngas production over Co–MgO mixed oxide nanocatalysts

Carbon dioxide reforming of methane (CH4 + CO2 ↔ 2CO + 2H2) was studied over nanostructure Co–MgO mixed oxide catalysts with different cobalt contents. The catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation method and characterized using XRD, BET, TEM, TPR, SEM and TPO techniques. The BET analysis showed a high specific surface area and mesoporous structure (pore sizes < 15 nm) and the TEM analysis indicated a nanostructure with crystallite sizes smaller than 10 nm for the prepared catalysts. The obtained results revealed that the catalyst with cobalt content of 10 wt.% had the highest activity and stability in dry reforming reaction.