CO2 reforming of CH4 over xerogel Ni-Ti and Ni-Ti-Al catalysts

CO2 reforming of CH4 reaction was studied over the Ni based xerogel catalysts. The Ni-Ti and Ni-Ti-Al xerogel composites were prepared using the sol-gel method and reduced in H-2-N-2 mixture gas. The reaction was conducted at 973 K in a micropacked-bed reactor. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) were used to characterize the fresh and spent (after reaction) catalyst samples. Compared with the published data, it has been found that the carbon deposition on both Ni-Ti and Ni-Ti-Al xerogel catalysts is effectively suppressed. Ni-Ti-Al xerogel catalyst reveals higher activity and longer stability than Ni-Ti xerogel catalyst does, due to its larger surface area and more resistance to Ti reduction. However, further study is anticipated to eliminate the carbon deposition on these xerogel catalysts.