Steam reforming of n-decane for H2 production over Ni modified La-Al2O3 catalysts: Effects of the active component Ni content

•Ni and La bimetal were introduced into Al2O3 support by different method.•Conversion and reforming activities were evidently heightened.•There is a strong synergy between Ni and La-Al2O3 support.•The H2 selectivity over 9% Ni/La-Al2O3 reached by 75.1% at 800 °C.•The conversion of n-decane over Ni/La-Al2O3 reached by 100% above 700 °C.

This study involves a new series granulate Ni modified La-Al2O3 (NLA) catalysts with high temperature resistant and large specific surface area for n-decane steam reforming. NLA catalysts were prepared by using a specially designed co-precipitation technique in combination with incipient wetness impregnation. Physicochemical characteristics of as-prepared catalysts were detected by using automatic adsorption instrument, X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), and scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS). Significantly, the results of characterizations showed that the series NLA catalysts presented a typical mesoporous structure with a large surface area of ∼150.0 m2/g, and metal Ni was strongly interacted with Al2O3 to generate nickel aluminate spinel structures, and the addition of La improved the thermal stability of catalysts. Based on these data, the catalytic activities over NLA catalysts were evidently heightened compared with the corresponding La-Al2O3 catalyst, moreover, the 9.0 wt% NLA catalyst exhibited higher H2 yield and showed 100% n-decane conversion at 800 °C. The valuable information indicated in this work is that based on the special characters of NLA, bimetal particles can be supported on Al2O3 with different way, which should be an effective approach to maintain both catalytic activities and thermal stability.