Influence of Nickel Loading on Reduced Graphene Oxide-Based Nickel Catalysts for the Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide to Methane

Abstract

In this study, a series of novel nickel catalysts supported on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (Ni/rGO) with Ni loadings of 10, 15 and 20 wt% were successfully synthesized via the incipient wetness impregnation method. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts and rGO support were thoroughly characterized by thermogravimetric analyser, X-ray diffraction, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption, temperature programmed reduction, temperature programmed CO2 desorption and field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The properties of the catalysts are correlated to its catalytic activity for CO2 methanation which were investigated using three-phase slurry reactor at low temperature and pressure of 240 °C and 10 bar, respectively. Among the three catalysts of different Ni loading, Ni15/rGO shows the highest activity of 51% conversion of CO2 with total selectivity towards CH4. N2-physisorption and CO2-TPD analysis suggest that high catalytic performance of Ni15/rGO is attributed to the high surface area, strong basic sites and special support effect of rGO in anchoring the active metal.