Highly active Ni-Ce/TiO2-Al2O3 catalysts: Influence of preparation methods

Ni-Ce/TiO2-Al2O3 catalysts prepared by impregnation method, modified sol-gel method and plasma-assisted method, were employed for carbon dioxide reforming of methane. The conversions of methane and carbon dioxide on Ni-Ce/TiO2-Al2O3 catalyst (SP-CP) could reach 52.3% and 48.3% at 600 degrees C and 96.8% and 97.9% at 800 degrees C, which were higher than those of IP-CP. XRD, BET, EDS and CO2-TPD results indicated that the introduction of plasma induced smaller particles, improved the metal dispersion, and provided larger specific surface area, as well as more alkaline active sites, which was responsible for good catalytic performance. Copyright (C) 2016, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.