Preparation of Ni-CeO2/MgAl hydrotalcite-like catalyst for biogas oxidative steam reforming

Abstract

In this work, it is aimed to develop new and active catalyst for oxidative steam reforming of biogas to produce syngas. For this purpose, Ni-CeO2/MgAl hydrotalcite-like catalysts which are not used in the oxidative steam reforming of biogas before were prepared with different cerium (Ce) contents (wt %2.5/5.0/7.5/10.0) and Mg:Al molar ratios (1:1, 2:1, 3:1) and fixed nickel (Ni) content (wt %10). While hydrotalcite-like support metarials were prepared by co-precipitation method, nickel and cerium loadings were carried out by using wet impregnation method. Structural and textural properties of the catalysts were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and Scanning Elektron Microscope (SEM) analyzes. Biogas oxidative steam reforming reactions were performed in a fixed-bed quartz reactor at 800oC under atmospheric pressure. All catalysts were studied under the reaction conditions of the feed gas molar ratios of CH4/CO2/O2/H2O = 1.0/0.67/0.1/0.3 and space velocity of 45000 ml/gcat.h. The highest catalytic activity was obtained with Ni10Ce2.5/MgAl(2:1) hydrotalcite-like catalyst with CH4 conversion of 96%, CO2 conversion of 82%, H2 yield of 92% and H2/CO molar ratio of 1.57.