Effect of support materials and Ni loading on catalytic performance for carbon dioxide reforming of coke oven gas

To investigate the effect of support materials on catalytic performance in carbon dioxide reforming of coke oven gas, Ni-based catalysts supported on various metal oxides with various properties are prepared and evaluated. The support material affects the important properties related to the catalytic performance such as surface area, Ni dispersion, basicity, oxygen storage capacity, and interaction between Ni and support. Among the various catalysts on different metal oxides, Ni/MgO–Al₂O₃ catalyst exhibits the highest CH₄ conversion due to its high Ni dispersion, large surface area, and strong basicity. Hence, the Ni loading in the Ni/MgO–Al₂O₃ catalyst is optimized. Ni loading performs the important roles to determine the Ni dispersion, the amount of Ni active sites, and basicity. 15 wt% Ni/MgO–Al₂O₃ catalyst shows the highest catalytic activity even at a high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 1,500,000 h⁻¹, owing to the large amount of Ni active sites which related to Ni loading, Ni dispersion, and reduction degree. To confirm the stability of the 15 wt% Ni/MgO–Al₂O₃ catalyst, catalytic reaction has been carried out for 50 h and noticeable catalytic deactivation is not observed for 50 h.