Modified Ni-Based Catalyst for Dry Reforming of Methane

Modified Ni-based catalyst for Dry Reforming of Methane

Samarah Novaes¹, Ayad Nacy¹, Da Li², Stephanie L. Brock² and Eranda Nikolla¹

¹Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

²Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

During the last decades, the dry reforming of methane (CH₄) has received significant attention for generation of hydrogen from methane.[1] This process allows the conversion of CH₄ and carbon dioxide (CO₂) into synthetic gas, according to the following equation CH₄ + CO₂ → 2CO + 2H₂ (ΔH = 247 kJ/mol) [2]. This is an endothermic process that is run at temperature over 500°C. The commonly used non-precious metal catalyst for the process is Ni supported on an oxide. One of the challenges with using Ni as the catalyst is its deactivation due to carbon poisoning.[3] In order to overcome this challenge while preserving the catalytic activity of Ni for activating C-H bond in methane, we have modified the Ni catalyst via doping it with phosphorous in order to prevent the formation of extended carbon structures. In this study, we compare the performance of monometallic Ni catalyst to phosphorous-doped Ni-catalysts supported on oxides. We show the effect of modifying the Ni surface on the catalytic activity and stability toward dry reforming of methane.

References

1.         Pakhare, D. and J. Spivey, A review of dry (CO2) reforming of methane over noble metal catalysts. Chemical Society Reviews, 2014. 43(22): p. 7813-7837.

2.         Kang, K.M., et al., Catalytic test of supported Ni catalysts with core/shell structure for dry reforming of methane. Fuel Processing Technology, 2011. 92(6): p. 1236-1243.

3.         Nikolla, E., J. Schwank, and S. Linic, Promotion of the long-term stability of reforming Ni catalysts by surface alloying. Journal of Catalysis, 2007. 250(1): p. 85-93.