Preparation of mesoporous nanocrystalline 10% Ni/Ce1−xMnx O2 catalysts for dry reforming reaction

Methane dry reforming (MDR) was employed for the syngas production over 10% Ni/Ce1−xMnxO2 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1) catalysts. The obtained results indicated that the incorporation of Mn to the cerium oxide improved the BET area. However, there was an optimum content of Mn, in which the composite material exhibited the highest BET area. Addition of Mn more than 50 mol.% declined the BET area and significantly raised the mean pore size. The catalytic results indicated that the incorporation of Mn into the catalyst carrier slightly decreased the catalytic activity. However, the catalytic stability improved upon the addition of Mn. The TPO analysis confirmed the decrease in the amount of deposited carbon with the increase of Mn content. The whisker type carbon was observed on the surface of the spent catalysts. The catalytic results showed that the 10% Ni/Ce0.95Mn0.05O2 exhibited the highest catalytic performance in methane reforming with carbon dioxide.