Coke-resistant Ni-based bimetallic catalysts for the dry reforming of methane: effects of indium on the Ni/Al2O3 catalyst

In the quest for highly efficient coke-resistant catalysts for the dry reforming of methane (DRM) to produce syngas, a series of Ni-In/gamma-Al2O3 catalysts with various Ni contents were prepared via a two-solvent method and used for the DRM reaction. The results reveal that the catalysts with a Ni/In ratio of 3/2 showed the optimal CH4 and CO2 conversion activities of 91.1% and 97.1%, respectively. Furthermore, after a 200 hour long-term balancing test at 700 degrees C, the deactivation factor was 2.55% on Ni-In/gamma-Al2O3, indicating that the Ni-In/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst remained stable. Compared to the Ni/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst, the addition of In increased the surface-adsorbed oxygen species and the oxygen vacancy amounts on Ni-In/gamma-Al2O3 and increased the CO2 adsorption capacity, which enhanced the CO2 conversion by 12.8%. Moreover, the interaction between Ni and In promoted the dispersion of Ni particles and inhibited the agglomeration of Ni during the DRM reaction. In addition, the carbon deposition on the catalyst was also reduced, which greatly improved the stability of Ni-In/gamma-Al2O3.

Automated summary

In this study, Ni-In/γ-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared and used for the dry reforming of methane, and it was found that the catalyst with a Ni/In ratio of 3/2 exhibited the optimal conversion activity and stability. The addition of In increased the oxygen species and oxygen vacancy amounts on the catalyst, enhancing the CO2 conversion rate and reducing carbon deposition by promoting Ni particle dispersion and inhibiting agglomeration.