Promoting syngas production from steam reforming of toluene using a highly stable Ni/(Mg, Al)Ox catalyst

Toluene, as one of the representative biomass tar model compound, has been widely chosen for investigation of biomass tar reforming. Herein, novel Ni/(Mg, Al)O-x (Ni/MAO) catalysts derived from Ni-Mg-Al hydrotalcites were prepared successfully and used for steam reforming of toluene (SRT). Among all the catalysts, Ni/MAO catalyst prepared at pH of 10 and aging temperature of 20 degrees C (Ni/MAO-10) exhibited superior activity in toluene conversion (95.3%) and syngas production (833 mmol/g-Ni), as well as the excellent resistance to carbon deposition. Through characterizations, the highest basicity, highest reducibility, tailored rosette-like morphology, and larger specific surface area in Ni/MAO-10 were confirmed. Furthermore, the structure-activity relationship, reforming mechanism, deactivation, and regeneration of the catalyst were comprehensively elaborated from rigorous experiments, and meanwhile, the activation energies and turnover frequency (TOF) values of four Ni/MAO catalysts in SRT were calculated to theoretically explain their activities.

Automated summary

Novel Ni/(Mg, Al)O-x (Ni/MAO) catalysts derived from Ni-Mg-Al hydrotalcites were successfully prepared and used for steam reforming of toluene (SRT), with Ni/MAO-10 exhibiting superior activity and excellent resistance to carbon deposition. The catalyst's high basicity, reducibility, rosette-like morphology, and large specific surface area were confirmed through characterizations, contributing to its exceptional performance in the SRT process.