Additive effects of alkaline-earth metals and nickel on the performance of Co/γ-Al2O3 in methane catalytic partial oxidation

Nano-sized γ-alumina (γ-Al2O3) was first prepared by a precipitation method. Then, active component of cobalt and a series of alkaline-earth metal promoters or nickel (Ni) with different contents were loaded on the γ-Al2O3 support. The catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The activity and selectivity of the catalysts in catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) of methane have been compared with Co/γ-Al2O3, and it is found that the catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability are enhanced by the addition of alkaline-earth metals and nickel. The optimal loadings of strontium (Sr) and Ni were 6 and 4 wt%, respectively. This finding will be helpful in designing the trimetallic Co-Ni-Sr/γ-Al2O3 catalysts with high performance in CPO of methane.