Conversion of methane and carbon dioxide into synthesis gas over alumina-supported nickel catalysts. Effect of Ni-Al₂O₃ interactions

Abstract

A series of alumina-supported nickel catalysts were prepared by calcination of the catalyst precursors in air at different temperatures. The increase in the intensity of Ni-Al₂O₃ interactions with the calcination temperature was found to be unfavourable to the reduction of the catalyst, and thus caused a decrease in activity for the low temperature reaction between methane and carbon dioxide. However, the catalyst with strong Ni-Al₂O₃ interactions suppressed carbon deposition effectively, which can be attributed to the formation of spinel, NiAl₂O₄, after calcination. When the reaction was carried out at 1023 K, all the catalysts tended to exhibit the same activity. At the same time, only filamentous carbon with a hollow inner channel was observed and there were nickel particles on the tip of this filamentous carbon.