Enhanced dry reforming of methane by microwave-mediated confined catalysis over Ni-La/AC catalyst

The dry reforming of methane (DRM) is an attractive technology for CO2 utilization to produce syngas for the production of value-added chemicals and fuels. However, commercialized application of DRM has been limited by the severe temperature conditions required to activate the low energy molecules (CH4 and CO2) and prohibit the formation of coke. Here we report efficient syngas production via methane reforming mediated by the microwave-triggered activation of Lanthanum nickelate (LNO) and carbon deposited on the catalysts could enhance the catalytic performance under microwave irradiation. AC-based materials could reach ∼ 100 % reactant conversion in the microwave-assisted DRM (MW-DRM) process. We have also investigated the reaction mechanism on Ni-La/AC catalysts by using CO2-TPD and in situ DRIFTS analysis. It was observed that lanthanum oxycarbonates were active intermediates for CO2 activation and oxidation of carbonaceous intermediates from methane on the catalyst, thus improving catalytic activity and stability. This catalyst exhibited an advantage of process intensification and reaction stability in the MW-DRM process, in contrast to the conventional heating process.