Effect of Pr addition on the properties of Ni/Al2O3 catalysts with an application in the autothermal reforming of methane

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.10.071
• Publication Date: 2013-12-02T21:45:19Z
• Authors: Ying Wang; Jun Peng; Chen Zhou; Zi-Yian Lim; Chunzheng Wu; Shuang Ye; Wei Guo Wang
• Keywords: Methane reformer; Temperature-programmed reduction; Non-blocking I/O; Thermogravimetric analysis; Nickel oxide

Ni/xPr-Al2O3 (x = 5, 10, 15, 20 wt%) catalysts with an application in autothermal reforming of methane were prepared by sequential impregnation synthesis; its catalytic performance was evaluated and compared with that of Ni/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst; the physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS), Thermo Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) and H-2-temperature programmed reduction techniques (TPR). The results showed that Pr addition promoted the reduction of nickel particle size on the surface. TPR experiments suggested a heterogeneous distribution of nickel oxide particles over xPr-Al2O3 supports and the promotion of NiO reduction by Pr modification. The CH4 conversion increased with elevating levels of Pr addition from 5% to 10%, then decreased with Pr content from 10% to 20%. For the stability catalytic tests, Ni/xPr-Al2O3 catalysts maintained the high activity after 48 h while Ni/Al2O3 had a significant deactivation. Copyright (C) 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.