Influence of Mn, Mg, Ce, and P promoters on Ni-X/Al2O3 catalysts for dry reforming of methane

In this work, the performance of a series of nickel catalysts supported on alumina containing the promoters Mg, Mn, Ce and P was evaluated against the dry reforming of methane (DRM). Alumina support was obtained quickly and simply through the microwave-assisted combustion method using low levels of urea. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, TPR, FTIR and XRD in situ, proving that successive hydration and heat treatment steps during synthesis can generate modifications in the alumina phases, in addition to the formation of aluminate species that are reduced during the catalytic activation step and modify the level of interaction between active and support phases. The catalytic activity test was performed with GHSV = 100 L g−1 h−1 and the formed carbon was quantified by thermo gravimetric analysis. The Mn promoter exhibited the highest methane conversion rate during the initial stages of the reaction, in which the presence of MnO2 favored parallel reactions of methane decomposition. The phosphorus and cerium produced smaller amounts of coke, reducing the carbon generated due to the interaction of promoters with carbon on the surface of the catalytic sites. The Mg increases the interaction of the active phase with the support.