Steam Reforming Of Propane Research Articles

Propane steam reforming over La0.8Sr0.2Ni1-yMyO3 (M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co) perovskite-type oxides

Perovskite-type oxides have attracted significant attention in recent years as potential catalysts for hydrocarbon reforming reactions. Herein, a series of oxides with the formula La0.8Sr0.2Ni1-yMyO3 (LSNi1-yMy; M=Cr, Mn, Fe, Co) have been synthesized and tested for the propane steam reforming (PSR) reaction. Materials were characterized employing BET, XRD, H2-TPR, SEM/EDX, TEM/SAED and TPO techniques. Optimal results were obtained for LSNi0.5Cr0.5, which exhibited high propane conversion (78 %), H2-selectivity (98 %), and excellent stability with time-on-stream (40 hours) at 600 °C. This has been attributed to the exceptional ability of LSNi0.5Cr0.5 to maintain its perovskite structure under reaction conditions, the in situ formation of finely dispersed Ni-Cr alloy crystallites, and the suppression of reactions that lead to graphitic carbon deposition. This study provides deeper insight into the effects of structural properties and reducibility of perovskite-type oxides on their catalytic properties and can be used to design catalysts with improved performance.

Exploring the Impact of Palladium Loading on Pd-Based Three-Way Catalyst Performance and Propane Reactivity for Emission Reduction in Liquefied Petroleum Gas Engines

To reduce air pollution worldwide, regulations on exhaust gas emissions from ships are becoming increasingly stringent. One fuel that is being considered as an alternative to replace the heavy fuel oil used in existing ship engines and thereby reduce harmful emissions, such as NOx, SOx, and greenhouse gases, is sulfur-free liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). To assess the viability of this alternative, it is necessary to understand propane reactivity, the main component of LPG, and develop after-treatment devices applicable to LPG engines. This research evaluated the performance of three prototype Pd-based three-way catalysts (TWCs) with varying Pd loadings (6.5, 4.1, and 1.4 g/L), focusing on their effectiveness concerning propane reactivity in LPG engines. For the fresh samples, catalysts with 4.1 g/L Pd demonstrated performance that was comparable to, or even surpassed, those containing 6.5 g/L Pd. Notably, the temperature of 50% conversion (T50) for NO and C3H8 in the fresh Pd-4.1 was lower by 14 °C and 10 °C, respectively, compared to the fresh Pd-6.5 sample, despite having 37% less precious-metal loading. However, after hydrothermal aging at 900 °C for 100 h, the performance of the 4.1 g/L Pd catalyst significantly deteriorated, exhibiting lower efficiency than the 6.5 g/L Pd catalyst. The study also delved into various probe reactions, including the water–gas shift and propane steam reforming. Advanced analytical techniques, such as N2 physisorption and scanning transmission electron microscopy, were employed to elucidate the texture and structural characteristics of the catalyst, providing a comprehensive understanding of its behavior and potential applications. Through this research, within the efforts of the maritime sector to address challenges posed by emission regulations and rising costs associated with precious metals, this study has the potential to contribute to the development of cost-effective emission control solutions.

Sorption-enhanced steam reforming of propane using bifunctional Ni/CaO, Ni/CaO-CaZrO3, and Ni/CaO-Ca2SiO4 catalysts

In this study, the performance of bifunctional catalysts of Ni over CaO, CaO-CaZrO3 and CaO-Ca2SiO4 was evaluated in CO2 capture and sorption-enhanced steam propane reforming cycles. Ni/CaO, Ni/CaO-CaZrO3, and Ni/CaO-Ca2SiO4 catalysts/sorbent were synthesized by sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed the formation of CaZrO3 and Ca2SiO4 in the catalysts. The thermal stability performance of the samples was evaluated in CO2 capture and sorption-enhanced steam propane reforming cycles. Both tests confirmed a significant improvement of the performance during both CO2 capture and steam propane reforming with the addition of Zr and Si. This effect can be attributed to the minimization of CaO sintering due to the higher thermal stability added by the formation of CaZrO3 and Ca2SiO4. In addition, Ni/CaO-CaZrO3 sample presented the highest stability during sorption-enhanced steam propane reforming cycles, with pre-breakthrough time close to 50 min and H2 yields over 90 vol.% in the pre-breakthrough period and close to 71% in the post-breakthrough, in all reaction cycles. Therefore, the results showed that the formation of the mixed oxides CaZrO3 and Ca2SiO4 improved the thermal stability of the catalysts, which can be good materials for sorption-enhanced steam propane reforming process.

Optimization of MxOy (La2O3 or Gd2O3) content in Rh/MxOy-Al2O3 catalyst formulation for the propane steam reforming reaction

Heading full speed towards the extensive use of H2 for humanity's energy needs, blue hydrogen production from light hydrocarbons is one of the most promising alternatives. In this study the production of hydrogen through propane steam reforming (PSR) reaction is investigated over Rh nanoparticles dispersed on MxOy-Al2O3 supports of variable MxOy (M: La, Gd) content towards optimizing catalytic performance. The intrinsic activity and the formation of intermediate CH4 are markedly affected by varying MxOy content passing through a maximum for 10 wt% La2O3 or Gd2O3. Up to 8- and 3.5-fold increases in turnover frequency (TOF) at 400 °C are achieved on these optimally loaded with La2O3 and Gd2O3 catalysts, respectively, accompanied by more than two-fold higher H2 yields. The reducibility of both rhodium species and the MxOy-Al2O3 support strongly depends on the MxOy content, which then determines the catalytic activity. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared furrier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) experiments revealed that CHx species generated by the dissociative adsorption of propane interact either with H2 yielding CH4 and/or with hydroxyl groups producing formate species and eventually COx and H2 in a manner which depends on MxOy content. However, the latter path is over-favored for samples with 20 wt% MxOy possessing excessive reducibility, and in combination to an over-strengthening of formates adsorption, the conversion rate to COx and H2 is strongly inhibited. Scaling-up the fabrication of the most active Rh/10%La2O3-Al2O3 catalyst at higher application readiness (structured as pellets) and testing under realistic conditions revealed its suitability for propane reformers.

Composite Structured M/Ce0.75Zr0.25O2/Al2O3/FeCrAl (M = Pt, Rh, and Ru) Catalysts for Propane and n-Butane Reforming to Syngas.

Here, we report the preparation, characterization, and performance of reforming propane and n-butane into a syngas of composite structured M/Ce0.75Zr0.25O2/Al2O3/FeCrAl (M = 0.46 wt.% Pt, 0.24 wt.% Rh, and 0.24 wt.% Ru) catalysts. The catalysts are composed of a high-heat-conducting FeCrAl block with preset geometry, with a surface nearly totally covered by θ-Al2O3. Afterwards, a layer of ceria–zirconia mixed oxide was deposited. The formed oxide coating was used as a support for 2–3 nm sized Pt, Rh, or Ru nanoparticles. The performance of the catalysts in propane steam reforming decreased in the order of Rh ≈ Ru > Pt. The reformates obtained in the propane steam reforming over Rh- and Ru/Ce0.75Zr0.25O2/Al2O3/FeCrAl at 600 °C and GHSV = 8300 h−1 contained 65.2 and 62.4 vol.% of H2, respectively, and can be used as a fuel for solid oxide fuel cells. In the oxidative steam reforming of propane at 700 °C and GHSV= 17,000 h−1, the activities of the Rh- and Pt-based catalysts were similar and the compositions of the outlet gas mixtures were quite close to equilibrium in both cases. Increasing the reagent flow rate to 25,600 h−1 showed stability of the Rh/Ce0.75Zr0.25O2/Al2O3/FeCrAl performance, whereas the Pt/Ce0.75Zr0.25O2/Al2O3/FeCrAl activity decreased. A mathematical model considering the velocity field, mass balance, pressure, and temperature distribution, as well as the reaction kinetics, was suggested for the propane steam and oxidative steam reforming over the Pt- and Rh/Ce0.75Zr0.25O2/Al2O3/FeCrAl catalysts. The model well described the experimental results.

Catalytic performance and in situ DRIFTS studies of propane and simulated LPG steam reforming reactions on Rh nanoparticles dispersed on composite MxOy-Al2O3 (M: Ti, Y, Zr, La, Ce, Nd, Gd) supports

Rhodium nanoparticles dispersed on a variety of composite supports, MxOy-Al2O3 (M: Ti, Y, Zr, La, Ce, Nd, Gd), were investigated for the propane steam reforming (PSR) reaction aiming to the efficient production of hydrogen. Addition of MxOy resulted in a significant promotion of intrinsic activity which varies depending on MxOy nature with the La2O3-containing sample exhibiting optimum performance. Selectivity toward methane side-product follows the same trend with that of PSR activity implying that methane is a key reaction intermediate. In situ DRIFTS experiments demonstrated that PSR reaction proceeds via intermediate formation of CHx species which are either hydrogenated toward CH4 or interacted with OH groups yielding formates that are further decomposed to H2 and COx. Rh/10%La2O3-Al2O3 and Rh/10%Gd2O3-Al2O3 catalysts were synthesized in the form of pellets and investigated using simulated liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as feed, and proved to be promising candidates for the LPG steam reforming reaction.

Hydrogen production by steam reforming of propane and LPG over supported metal catalysts

The steam reforming of propane and LPG has been investigated over Ru, Rh, Ir, Pt, Pd and Re catalysts (1 wt%) dispersed on commercial metal oxide supports (Al2O3, TiO2, CeO2-ZrO2). The Ru and Rh catalysts exhibit higher activity, which is comparable to that of a reference 10%Ni/Al2O3 sample. The performance of the Al2O3-supported Rh and 10%Ni catalysts deteriorates with time-on-stream due to the deposition of polymeric (Cβ) and/or vermicular (CV) carbon. The Ru-containing catalysts are considerably more stable because of the formation of small amounts of easily gasified carbon. Best results were obtained for the Ru/CeO2-ZrO2 catalyst, which is characterized by high activity, high selectivity toward H2 and excellent stability with time-on-stream. This has been attributed to the formation of, mainly, monoatomic carbon (Cα) species under reaction conditions, the high efficiency of Ru to gasify carbon deposits, and the presence of labile lattice oxygen species on the CeO2-ZrO2 support.

Effect of Bulk and Surface Composition on Control of Surface Reactivity Towards C, O, and H Over Ni+Ga Intermetallic Compounds in Propane Steam Reforming Reaction

Effect of Bulk and Surface Composition on Control of Surface Reactivity Towards C, O, and H Over Ni+Ga Intermetallic Compounds in Propane Steam Reforming Reaction

Direct Observation of Rhodium Ex-Solution from a Ceria Nanodomain and Its Use for Hydrogen Production via Propane Steam Reforming.

The ex-solution phenomenon has received attention as a promising technique to prepare highly durable heterogeneous catalysts. Perovskite materials have been mainly used as host oxides for ex-solution, but their small surface areas have limited their practical use. Here, Rh was ex-solved by reducing Rh-doped ceria solid solution, and nanosized Rh catalysts with a high surface area of 70.7 m2/g were prepared. The Rh nanoparticles ex-solved from the ceria nanodomains were directly monitored by in situ transmission electron microscopy. The Rh nanoparticles whose sizes are 2-3 nm were not coarsened during the propane steam reforming process carried out at 700 °C for 65 h, leading to high resistance against sintering and coke formation. On the contrary, the Rh catalyst simply deposited on CeO2 was significantly sintered after the reaction, and the size of Rh nanoparticles increased to 25 nm, resulting in severe coke formation. Our work shows that ex-solution from a ceria-based nanodomain can be a good way to prepare metal nanoparticle catalysts with a large surface area and excellent durability for gas-phase reactions at high temperatures.

Support Effects on the Activity of Ni Catalysts for the Propane Steam Reforming Reaction.

The catalytic performance of supported Ni catalysts for the propane steam reforming reaction was investigated with respect to the nature of the support. It was found that Ni is much more active when supported on ZrO2 or YSZ compared to TiO2, whereas Al2O3− and CeO2-supported catalysts exhibit intermediate performance. The turnover frequency (TOF) of C3H8 conversion increases by more than one order of magnitude in the order Ni/TiO2 < Ni/CeO2 < Ni/Al2O3 < Ni/YSZ < Ni/ZrO2, accompanied by a parallel increase of the selectivity toward the intermediate methane produced. In situ FTIR experiments indicate that CHx species produced via the dissociative adsorption of propane are the key reaction intermediates, with their hydrogenation to CH4 and/or conversion to formates and, eventually, to CO, being favored over the most active Ni/ZrO2 catalyst. Long term stability test showed that Ni/ZrO2 exhibits excellent stability for more than 30 h on stream and thus, it can be considered as a suitable catalyst for the production of H2 via propane steam reforming.

Propane Steam Reforming over Catalysts Derived from Noble Metal (Ru, Rh)-Substituted LaNiO3 and La0.8Sr0.2NiO3 Perovskite Precursors.

The propane steam reforming (PSR) reaction was investigated over catalysts derived from LaNiO3 (LN), La0.8Sr0.2NiO3 (LSN), and noble metal-substituted LNMx and LSNMx (M = Ru, Rh; x = 0.01, 0.1) perovskites. The incorporation of foreign cations in the A and/or B sites of the perovskite structure resulted in an increase in the specific surface area, a shift of XRD lines toward lower diffraction angles, and a decrease of the mean primary crystallite size of the parent material. Exposure of the as-prepared samples to reaction conditions resulted in the in situ development of new phases including metallic Ni and La2O2CO3, which participate actively in the PSR reaction. The LN-derived catalyst exhibited higher activity compared to LSN, and its performance for the title reaction did not change appreciably following partial substitution of Ru for Ni. In contrast, incorporation of Ru and, especially, Rh in the LSN perovskite matrix resulted in the development of catalysts with significantly enhanced catalytic performance, which improved by increasing the noble metal content. The best results were obtained for the LSNRh0.1-derived sample, which exhibited excellent long-term stability for 40 hours on stream as well as high propane conversion (XC3H8 = 92%) and H2 selectivity (SH2 = 97%) at 600 °C.

Hydrogen production by steam reforming of propane using supported nickel over ceria-silica catalysts

The effect of silica molar content on the performance of Ni/CeO2-SiO2 during the steam reforming of propane was investigated. Nickel precursors supported over ceria-silica with different molar contents of ceria:silica (65:35, 75:25, 85:15 and 100:0) were synthetized and named Ni65CS, Ni75CS, Ni85CS and NiCe, respectively. BET surface area and in situ XRD results showed that a higher silica molar content in the support contributes to an increase in the surface area and to smaller Ni average crystallite size. Temperature Programmed Reduction and in situ X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy indicate a direct relationship between the silica molar content on the metal-support interaction and ceria dispersion and reducibility. Ni65CS and Ni75CS had lower carbon accumulation rate than the other catalysts, as demonstrated by thermogravimetric analysis. Ni75CS presented the highest conversion (around 75%) during catalytic tests at 600 °C and did not suffer from deactivation after 25 h. Based on the results, the optimum ceria:silica content in the support was 75:25, since this produced a more stable catalyst and smaller carbon deposition.

Editorial—Special Issue “Catalysis for Energy Production”

The rapid increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations in the last several decades means that the effects of climate change are fast becoming the familiar horsemen of a planetary apocalypse. Catalysis, one of the pillars of the chemical and petrochemical industries, will play a critical role in the effort to reduce the flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This Special Issue is timely, as it provides a collection of high-quality manuscripts in a diverse range of topics, which include the production of green hydrogen via water electrolysis, the steam reforming of ethanol, propane or glycerol, the dry reforming of methane, and the autothermal reforming of diesel surrogate fuel. The topic of the transformation of biomass waste to chemicals is also well represented as is the tackling of CO2 emissions via novel utilization technologies. The Editors are grateful to all authors for their valuable contributions and confident that this Special Issue will prove valuable to scholars, university professors and students alike.

Plasma assisted preparation of highly active NiAl2O4 catalysts for propane steam reforming

In this study, Ni–Al spinel catalyst prepared with glycine-nitrate combustion method and treated by DBD plasma in different atmospheres have been investigated for propane steam reforming (PSR). It is revealed by H2-TPR that compared with traditional calcination method, NiO/Ni particles have much stronger interaction with the supports on the plasma-treated Ni–Al spinel catalysts. Therefore, catalysts with smaller NiO/Ni grains sizes, higher metallic Ni active surface areas can be achieved, as evidenced by XRD and H2 adsorption-desorption measurements. NH3-TPD results demonstrate that the plasma treatment led to a decrease of the acidity of the Ni–Al spinel catalyst. Furthermore, larger quantities of surface active oxygen sites are also formed after plasma treatment, as testified by the O2-TPD and XPS results. As a consequence, the plasma-treated catalysts show significantly improved catalytic activities and coke resistance. Plasma treatment in H2/Ar atmosphere after calcination process is considered to be the best route to prepare NiAl2O4 catalysts, which could be employed to obtain PSR catalysts with the highest catalytic activity and best anti-coking performance. It is believed that the higher metallic Ni active surface area and much more surface active oxygen sites induced by plasma treatment are the inherent reasons accounting for the enhanced catalytic performance of the Ni–Al spinel catalysts.

Effect of Operating Conditions on the Performance of Rh/TiO2 Catalyst for the Reaction of LPG Steam Reforming

The catalytic performance of Rh/TiO2 catalyst was investigated for the reaction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) steam reforming with respect to the operating conditions employed. The impacts of reaction temperature, steam/C ratio, Gas Hourly Space Velocity (GHSV), and time were examined and discussed both in the absence and presence of butane in the feed. It was found that the catalytic performance is improved by increasing the reaction temperature, steam content in the feed, and/or by decreasing GHSV. In the presence of butane in the feed, the effect of H2O/C ratio on catalytic performance is prominent, whereas the opposite was observed for the effect of GHSV. The propane conversion curve decreases by adding butane in the feed, indicating that the presence of butane retards propane steam reforming. The investigation of the dynamic response of Rh/TiO2 catalyst to variations of H2O/C ratio showed that neither catalytic activity nor product selectivity is varied with time following abrupt changes of the steam/C ratio between 2 and 7. The catalyst exhibited excellent stability with time-on-stream at 500 and 650 °C. However, a reversible catalyst deactivation seems to be operable when the reaction occurs at 600 °C, resulting in a progressive decrease of propane conversion, which, however, can be completely restored by increasing the temperature to 650 °C in He flow, respectively. The long-term stability of Rh/TiO2 catalyst in the form of pellets showed that this catalyst is not only active and selective but also stable, and therefore, it is a promising catalyst for the reaction of LPG steam reforming.

Influence of metal loading and reduction temperature on the performance of mesoporous NiO–MgO–SiO2 catalyst in propane steam reforming

In this research, a series of NiO–MgO–SiO2 catalyst samples with various nickel contents (5, 10, 15 and 20 wt %) were prepared by a co-precipitation method followed by a hydrothermal treatment and employed in propane steam reforming. The analyses revealed that the enhancement of the nickel content up to 15 wt % improved the propane conversion to 98.6% at 550 °C. Nonetheless, further increase in the nickel loading reduced the catalyst activity due to the formation of larger and more poorly dispersed active sites. Besides, 15 wt % nickel loading led to the high resistance against coke deposition with no detectable carbon on the catalyst surface. In addition, it was revealed that, the decrease in steam to carbon (S/C) ratio caused further carbon depositions upon the catalyst surface as well as producing higher extents of undesired by-products. Besides, results proved that the alternation of reduction temperature within 500–650 °C caused a significant influence on the dispersion and particle size of metallic Ni. The accessible metallic Ni for reactants and consequently catalyst performance was strongly affected by reduction temperature. The results exhibited that the reduced catalyst at 550 °C possessed the highest activity with the lowest amount of by-products owning to the formation of highly dispersed small Ni species. Higher reduction temperatures accelerated the agglomeration of Ni species, which negatively affected the catalytic performance.

The Influence of Lanthanide on NiO-MgO-SiO2 Catalysts for Syngas Production via Propane Steam Reforming

In this study, 15 wt. % NiO-MgO-SiO2 catalysts modified by La2O3 promoter were prepared through a co-precipitation route and employed for syngas production via propane steam reforming. Various techniques including X-Ray diffraction, BET, TPR, CO2-TPD, CO-chemisorption, TPO, and Scanning electron microscopy were utilized to characterize the final samples. The results indicated that the incorporation of La2O3 enhanced the metal-support interaction providing less reducible Ni species. In comparison with the La-free catalyst, the promoted ones possessed higher metal dispersion and smaller Ni particles. Nonetheless, excessive amounts of La covering the active sites negatively decreased the Ni dispersion and corresponding surface area. In addition, upon the introduction of La2O3 the strength and amount of strong basic sites enhanced owing to the preferential adsorption of CO2 on La2O3. The evaluation of the catalytic performance disclosed that despite the improved metal dispersion, the promoted catalysts possessed lower propane conversion and hydrogen yield than the un-promoted one. It might be attributed to the decrease in the acidic sites which contributed to CHx decomposition. Nevertheless, the highest activity was achieved with 3 wt. % La2O3 loading which was induced by highly dispersed metallic Ni and more accessible active sites for adsorption and dissociation. It was also confirmed that, the existence of La2O3 improved the resistance against coke formation owning to the formation of well-dispersed Ni species and acceleration of gasification reaction through the La2O2CO3.

Numerical Simulation of Methane and Propane Reforming Over a Porous Rh/Al2O3 Catalyst in Stagnation-Flows: Impact of Internal and External Mass Transfer Limitations on Species Profiles

Hydrogen production by catalytic partial oxidation and steam reforming of methane and propane towards synthesis gas are numerically investigated in stagnation-flow over a disc coated with a porous Rh/Al2O3 layer. A one-dimensional flow field is coupled with three models for internal diffusion and with a 62-step surface reaction mechanism. Numerical simulations are conducted with the recently developed computer code DETCHEMSTAG. Dusty-Gas model, a reaction-diffusion model and a simple effectiveness factor model, are alternatively used in simulations to study the internal mass transfer inside the 100 µm thick washcoat layer. Numerically predicted species profiles in the external boundary layer agree well with the recently published experimental data. All three models for internal diffusion exhibit strong species concentration gradients in the catalyst layer. In partial oxidation conditions, a thin total oxidation zone occurs close to the gas-washcoat interface, followed by a zone of steam and dry reforming of methane. Increasing the reactor pressure and decreasing the inlet flow velocity increases/decreases the external/internal mass transfer limitations. The comparison of reaction-diffusion and Dusty-Gas model results reveal the insignificance of convective flow on species transport inside the washcoat. Simulations, which additionally solve a heat transport equation, do not show any temperature gradients inside the washcoat.

Effects of Pt precursors on Pt/CeO2 to water-gas shift (WGS) reaction activity with Langmuir-Hinshelwood model-based kinetics

The crystallite size effects of Pt nanoparticles on the CeO2 (Pt/CeO2) prepared with four different Pt precursors were investigated in terms of their thermal stability and catalytic activity for a water-gas shift (WGS) reaction using the compositions of reformates after a typical steam reforming of propane. The Pt/CeO2 prepared with a diamine dinitroplatinum (Pt(NO2)2(NH3)3) precursor, which forms the cationic Pt(NH3)22+ species on the negatively-charged CeO2 surfaces, revealed a superior catalytic activity and thermal stability by forming the partially oxidized smaller Pt nanoparticles decorated with metallic Pt surfaces as well as by forming the strongly interacted PtOx-CeO2 interfaces. The stable preservation of the pristine smaller Pt nanoparticles with small aggregations even under the hysteresis test from 250 to 400 °C was mainly attributed to the strong metal-support interactions. The optimized Pt/CeO2 was further studied to obtain kinetic equations derived by Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) model, and the optimal operating conditions of WGS reaction were found to be ~280 °C and H2O/CO molar ratio of 9 with the activation energy of ~78.4 kJ/mol.

Propane steam reforming on mesoporous NiO–MgO–SiO2 catalysts for syngas production: Effect of the MgO/SiO2 molar ratio

In this research, a series of NiO-xMgO-SiO2 catalysts with various MgO/SiO2 molar ratios were prepared via precipitation method followed by a hydrothermal treatment in the presence of PVP as surfactant. The synergic effect between MgO and SiO2 leading to the various characteristic and catalytic performance during propane steam reforming was investigated in detail. The results showed that 15 wt% NiO-0.5MgO–SiO2 catalyst possessed the highest catalytic activity (68.9% conversion for C3H8 at 550 °C) with a negligible amount of carbon formation after 20 h of reaction duration. This superior catalytic performance can be attributed to the enhanced basicity strength along with strong metal-support interaction due to the formation of NiO–MgO solid solution, as confirmed by CO2-TPD and TPR analyses, respectively. In addition, the maximum hydrogen yield was obtained through the NiO–MgO sample because of higher progress in other hydrogen production routes as opposed to that of the propane steam reforming. It also can be suggested that relatively weak interaction between active sites and support was probably the main reason for unstable catalytic behavior of NiO–SiO2 sample with the lowest activity. This study confirms that the appropriate MgO/SiO2 ratio led to the sufficient metal-support interaction and delicate balance between acidic/basic sites, which was followed by the great activity, and coke resistance during PSR.