Revisiting the mitigation of coke formation: Synergism between support & promoters' role toward robust yield in the CO2 reformation of methane

Abstract

CO2 reformation of methane (CRM) and CO2 methanation are two interconnected processes with significant implications for greenhouse gas reduction and sustainable energy production for industrial purposes. While Ni-based catalysis suffers from poor stability due to coke formation or sintering, we report a super stable remedy. The active sites of mesoporous MgO were loaded using wet impregnation. The incorporation of Ni and promoters altered the physical features of the catalysts. Sm–Ni/MgO showed the smallest crystallite size, specific surface area, and pore volume. The Sm–Ni/MgO catalyst was selected as the most suitable candidate for CRM, with 82 ​% CH4 and H2/CO ratio of approximately 100 ​% and also for CO2 methanation with the conversion of carbon dioxide (82 ​%) and the selectivity toward methane reaches 100 ​% at temperatures above 300 ᵒC. Furthermore, the Sm–Ni/MgO catalyst was stable for 900 ​min of continuous reaction, without significant carbon deposition. This stability was largely due to the high oxygen mobility on the catalyst surface in the presence of Sm. Overall, we demonstrated the efficacy of using promoted Ni catalysts supported by mesoporous magnesia for the improved reformation of greenhouse gases.