High performance of Ni-substituted calcium aluminosilicate for partial oxidation of methane into syngas

Newly synthesized calcium aluminosilicate, in which oxide anions were occluded, was tested as a catalyst for partial oxidation of CH4 into CO and H2. Substitution of a part of Ca2+ with Ni2+ resulted in a marked increase in CH4 conversion (93% at 800 °C) and in CO and H2 selectivities (94% and 95%, respectively), while Cr3+, Co3+, Fe3+ and Cu2+ slightly increased CH4 conversion with a considerable decrease in CO and H2 selectivities. Such a high performance may be attributed to the ability of Ni-substituted sample for CH4 steam reforming appearing during CH4 partial oxidation.