High performance and stable mesoporous MgO–ZrO2 supported Ni catalysts for dry reforming of methane

Abstract

Catalysts for dry reforming of methane (DRM) based on Ni are used widely. However, due to carbon deposition or active metal sintering, deactivation is inevitably attached to these catalysts. Ni catalysts supported on mesoporous MgO–ZrO2 have been synthesized by surfactant-assisted route and impregnation method, and their catalytic performance for DRM reaction has been investigated in this study. The specific surface area of the mesoporous support is approximately 64.7 ​m2 ​g−1 after calcination at 700° for 2 ​h. Catalyst with 10 ​wt% Ni content shows the best catalytic performance. The conversion rates of CH4 and CO2 are higher than 80%, while the selectivity values of CO and H2 are higher than 90%. After a long-term DRM test, according to the weight loss by TG, the catalysts carbon deposition with 7.5 ​wt% and 10 ​wt% content are 46.2% and 19.9%, respectively.