Dry reforming of methane using modified sodium and protonated titanate nanotube catalysts

Abstract

The mitigation of carbon emissions is an imminent and extremely relevant issue. In addition to carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) also contributes significantly to climate change. Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is a promising alternative to mitigate this gas, generating syngas, an important precursor of several chemical routes. In this context, sodium and protonated titanate nanotubes (TNT) were modified with metals (Co, Cu, Zn and Ni) and evaluated as catalyst for DRM. Zn-NaTNT, Co-NaTNT and Cu-NaTNT showed low catalytic activity (CO2 and CH4 conversion <5%). However, when Ni-NaTNT and Ni-HTNT were used as catalyst, CO2 and CH4 conversions were of 35 and 27% (Ni-NaTNT) and 70 and 74% (Ni-HTNT), respectively. Both catalysts showed good stability keeping CO2 and CH4 conversions at 700 °C during 5 h of reaction. Additionally, although conversion values reached with Ni-NaTNT were lower, the sodium presence in this catalyst inhibits to coke formation when compared to Ni-HTNT.