Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane over Nickel-Supported Zeolites: A Screening Study

Abstract

As the utilization of zeolites has become more frequent in the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction, more systematic studies are required to evaluate properly the influence of zeolites’ composition and framework type on the performance. Therefore, in this work, a step-by-step study was performed with the aim of analyzing the effects of Ni loading (5, 10 or 15 wt.% over USY(3) zeolite), Si/Al ratio (3, 15 or 38 on USY zeolites with 15 wt.% Ni) and framework type (USY, BEA, ZSM-5 or MOR for 15 wt.% Ni and Si/Al ratios of ≈40) on catalysts’ properties and performances. Increasing Ni loadings enhanced CH4 and CO2 conversions even though the catalysts’ stability was decreasing over the time. The variation of the Si/Al ratio on USY and the use of different zeolites had also a remarkable impact on the catalytic performance. For instance, at 500–600 °C reaction temperatures, the catalysts with higher basicity and reducibility exhibited the best results. However, when the temperature was further increased, catalysts presenting stronger metal–support interactions (nickel nanoparticles located in mesoporous cavities) displayed the highest conversions and stability over time. In brief, the use of 15 wt.% Ni and a USY zeolite, with both micro- and mesopores and high surface area, led to the best performances, mainly attributed to a favorable number of Ni0 active sites and the establishment of stronger metal–support interactions (due to nanoparticles confinement inside the mesopores).