Investigation on cobalt aluminate as an oxygen carrier catalyst for dry reforming of methane

Abstract

In this study, the catalytic performance of cobalt aluminate as an oxygen carrier catalyst was investigated in the dry reforming of methane (CH4). The series of cobalt aluminate with different cobalt (Co) content ranged between 18.32% and 45.85% were synthesized by the sol-gel method with aim of inducing the its ability as an oxygen carrier catalyst for dry reforming while suppressing the rate of carbon deposition. The reducibility of the developed catalysts corresponded with the initiation of CH4 oxidation at reaction temperatures between 700 °C and 900 °C. Successive oxidation-reduction of CH4 and carbon dioxide (CO2) invoked a novel reaction mechanism for the production of syngas through the reduction of the catalyst by CH4 and regeneration with CO2. A stability test was conducted on the best performing cobalt aluminate catalyst with 33.33% of Co content. The result showed the sustainability of the catalyst for up to 30 h of continuous reaction with an average yield of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) at 97.2% and 99.7%, respectively. The amount of CH4 converted into deposited carbon was measured at approximately 1.9%. This current research on cobalt aluminate highlights the possibility of producing syngas through simultaneous oxidation-reduction of CH4 and CO2.