Partial oxidation of methane to syngas over SmCoO3-derived catalysts: the effect of the supercritical fluid assisted modification of the perovskite precursor

Abstract

Syngas is crucial raw for the production of hydrogen-rich gas for green energy and for various petrochemical processes. Herein, we report the Syngas production via partial oxidation of methane (POM) on new SmCoO3-derived catalysts produced from simple individual precursor. Precursor modified by supercritical antisolvent precipitation (SAS) involving supercritical CO2 yields SmCoO3 with finer grains, and the catalytic activity of respective Co/Sm2O3 composite formed in situ during POM is considerably enchanced. This catalyst does not undergo coking, and provides CO and H2 yields of 75–88% for 55 h at 900 °C, thereby being the most efficient POM catalysts derived from non-substituted LnCoO3. Thus, the prospects of exploiting SAS modification of the precursor for SmCoO3 to enhance the catalytic activity of the daughter Co/Sm2O3 composites are demonstrated for the first time. Given the overall simplicity in production, studied Co/Sm2O3 composites can also be convenient systems for further development of POM catalysts.