Preparation of highly active nickel catalysts supported on mesoporous nanocrystalline γ-Al2O3 for CO2 methanation

In this study, a group of Ni catalysts supported on mesoporous nanocrystalline gamma-Al2O3 with high surface area and with different Ni contents was prepared and employed in carbon dioxide methanation reaction. The obtained results showed increasing in nickel content from 10 to 25 wt.% decreased the specific surface area of catalysts from 177 to 130 m(2)/g and increased the nickel crystallite size from 12 to 24 nm. In addition, increasing in nickel content increased the reducibility of catalyst. The catalytic results revealed that the catalyst with 20 wt.% of Ni possessed high activity and stability in CO2 methanation reaction. (C) 2013 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.