Influence of Ni on Fe and Co-Fe Based Catalysts for High-Calorific Synthetic Natural Gas

Fe-Ni and Co-Fe-Ni catalysts were prepared by the wet impregnation method for the production of high-calorific synthetic natural gas. The influence of Ni addition to Fe and Co-Fe catalyst structure and catalytic performance was investigated. The results show that the increasing of Ni amount in Fe-Ni and Co-Fe-Ni catalysts increased the formation of Ni-Fe alloy. In addition, the addition of nickel to the Fe and Co-Fe catalysts could promote the dispersion of metal and decrease the reduction temperature. Consequently, the Fe-Ni and Co-Fe-Ni catalysts exhibited higher CO conversion compared to Fe and Co-Fe catalysts. A higher Ni amount in the catalysts could increase C-1-C-4 hydrocarbon production and reduce the byproducts (C5+ and CO2). Among the catalysts, the 5Co-15Fe-5Ni/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst affords a high light hydrocarbon yield (51.7% CH4 and 21.8% C-2-C-4) with a low byproduct yield (14.1% C5+ and 12.1% CO2).

Automated summary

Fe-Ni and Co-Fe-Ni catalysts were prepared using the wet impregnation method for high-calorific synthetic natural gas production. The addition of nickel increased the formation of Ni-Fe alloy, promoted metal dispersion, and decreased the reduction temperature, leading to higher CO conversion rates. A higher Ni amount in the catalysts resulted in increased C1-C4 hydrocarbon production and reduced byproduct formation. Among the catalysts tested, the 5Co-15Fe-5Ni/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst showed the highest light hydrocarbon yield and lowest byproduct formation.