Effects of calcination and activation temperature on dry reforming catalysts

Abstract

The effect of calcination temperatures on dry reforming catalysts supported on high surface area alumina Ni/γ-Al2O3 (SA-6175) was studied experimentally. In this study, the prepared catalyst was tested in a micro tubular reactor using temperature ranges of 500, 600, 700 and 800°C at atmospheric pressure, using a total flow rate of 33ml/min consisting of 3ml/min of N2, 15ml/min of CO2 and 15ml/min of CH4. The calcination was carried out in the range of 500–900°C. The catalyst is activated inside the reactor at 500–800°C using hydrogen gas. It was observed that calcination enhances catalyst activity which increases as calcination and reaction temperatures were increased. The highest conversion was obtained at 800°C reaction temperature by using catalyst calcined at 900°C and activation at 700°C. The catalyst characterization conducted supported the observed experimental results.