Synthesis Gas Production from Natural Gas on Supported Pt Catalysts

Auto-thermal reforming of methane, combining partial oxidation and reforming of methane with CO2 or steam, was carried out with Pt/Al2O3 Pt/ZrO2 and Pt/CeO2 catalysts, in a temperature range of 300–900°C. The auto-thermal reforming occurs in two simultaneous stages, namely, total combustion of methane and reforming of the unconverted methane with steam and CO2, with the O2 conversion of 100% starting from 450°C. For combination with CO2 reforming, the Pt/CeO2 catalyst showed the lowest initial activity at 800°C, and the highest stability over 40 h on-stream. This catalyst also presented the best performance for the reaction with steam at 800°C. The higher resistance to coke formation of the catalyst supported on ceria is due to the metal-support interactions and the higher mobility of oxygen in the oxide lattice.