Carbon dioxide reforming with Rh and Pt–Re catalysts dispersed on ceramic foam supports Original Research Article

Considerable research over the past decade has indicated that supported rhodium is the best overall catalyst, in terms of activity and stability, for dry reforming of methane with carbon dioxide. An alternative catalyst is Pt–Re with a mass Pt/Re ratio of 0.25 supported on γ-Al2O3 that gives equivalent stability although with less activity. This paper describes the loading of this catalysts onto washcoated α-Al2O3 and the advantages arising from the unique properties of the foams as catalyst supports.Procedures are given for adding high surface area washcoats of γ-Al2O3 to 20- and 30-pores per inch (PPI) α-Al2O3 foams and for impregnating them with precursor solutions to obtain uniform deposits of Rh or Pt–Re complexes. Comparison with similar commercial catalysts indicate equivalent rates using foams and crushed catalysts, thereby showing that intrinsic activities displayed by the crushed catalysts were successfully reproduced with the foams. In the case of Rh, comparison with 3.2-mm pellets show a large enhancement in rate, since the pellets and foam exhibited low and high effectiveness factors, respectively.