Abstract
The increasing alarm of global warming always draws interest in reactions like dry reforming of methane (DRM) where both global warming gases (CO2 and CH4) are converted into value-added chemical building blocks, such as syngas. Nickel catalyst active sites along with support acid-base profiles play a key role in DRM. Herein, xLa2O3+(100-x) Al2O3 (x = 0, 10, 15, 20%) supports are prepared and followed by NiO dispersion over the produced support by impregnation method. It was tested for DRM reaction and characterized with TGA, XRD, TEM, IR, Surface area and porosity measurement, H2-TPR, CO2-TPD and NH3-TPD techniques. Upon increasing the basic lanthana proportion in the acidic alumina support, the crystallinity of alumina and acidity of total support decline. Up to 15% Lanthana addition in support claims a low acid and rich basic surface including super basic sites (related to unidentate carbonates) which governed optimum catalytic performance 64% CH4 conversion, 79% CO2 conversion and H2/CO ~ 1 up to 460-min in time on stream test. 20% lanthanum oxide loading led to inferior performance due to rapid loss of surface area, pore-volume, pore diameter, acidity and medium basic strength sites. Fine-tuning of acid-base lanthana-alumina support with dispersed Ni species are a means for understanding DRM.
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•The acido-basic property of support (xLa2O3+Al2O3) is fine-tuned for DRM.•Upon increasing the basic lanthana portion, the crystallinity and acidity declined.•Due to low acid, rich basic profile and super basic sites, 15% La performed best.•Surface property, acidity and medium basic strength loss made 20%La performed worst.