Comparative study of the dry reforming of methane on fluidised aerogel and xerogel Ni/Al2O3 catalysts

Abstract

The xerogel and aerogel Ni(20 wt %)/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared through incipient-wetness-impregnation and co-precipitation-supercritical drying (CP-SCD), respectively. All the fresh and used catalysts were well characterised using FESEM, BET, XRD, H2-TPR and H2-TPD techniques. Their properties and catalytic performance in dry reforming of CH4 in a fluidised bed reactor were comparatively investigated. In comparison with the xerogel catalyst, the aerogel catalyst possessed smaller crystallite size of nickel, larger specific surface area, higher nickel dispersion, lower bulky density and better fluidization quality. More importantly, the aerosol catalyst showed higher catalytic activity, stability and less carbon deposition in dry reforming, due to the excellent physicochemical properties of the aerogel catalyst and its enhanced fluidization quality.