Effects of support modifiers on the catalytic performance of Ni/Al2O3 catalyst in CO2 reforming of methane

The effect of alkaline earth metals (MgO, CaO and BaO) on activity, stability and coke formation of Ni/Al2O3 catalysts in CO2 reforming of methane (CRM) was investigated. These catalysts were prepared with impregnation method and characterized by XRD, BET, TPR, TPO and SEM techniques and tested in CO2 reforming of methane. The results showed that addition of these support modifiers to the Ni/Al2O3 catalysts decreased the surface area of catalysts (SBET) but improved the activity and stability and reduced the coke formation due to increasing the basicity of the supports. In addition, among these modifiers, MgO had the greatest impact on catalytic activity and coke formation process. Meanwhile, Ni/MgO-Al2O3 catalyst with various Mg contents were prepared, characterized with BET, TPR, TPO and SEM techniques and studied in CRM. It was found that just a moderate amount of Mg could improve catalytic stability and decreased coke formation in CRM.