The effect of potassium on the activity and stability of Ni–MgO–ZrO2 catalysts for the dry reforming of methane to give synthesis gas

It has been found that the addition of 0.5 wt.% potassium to a catalyst consisting of 8 wt.% Ni supported on a MgO–ZrO2 support prepared by co-precipitation improved both the activity and stability of this material for the dry reforming of methane. Increasing the content of potassium caused a decrease in the catalytic activity but the stabilities of the resultant catalysts were still higher than those for the undoped catalyst. The BET surface areas of the catalysts increased with potassium content.

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► A highly active, selective, stable Ni/MgO–ZrO2 catalyst containing K has been developed for dry reforming of methane.
► Addition of K to a MgO–ZrO2 support increases the resistance of the resultant Ni-containing catalysts to deactivation.