Nickel/alumina catalysts modified by basic oxides for the production of synthesis gas by methane partial oxidation

In the present work, Ni/α-Al2O3 catalysts modified with different amounts of CaO and MgO were used for the production of hydrogen by catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) and wet-CPO processes of methane. In the wet-CPO process, small additions of water were introduced into the feed of the reactor to improve both the H2 yield and methane conversion. The addition of water is also beneficial because coke formation becomes thermodynamically unfavorable. The catalysts were characterized before and after the reaction with XRD, XPS, TPR and TPO techniques. Several methane decomposition tests and methane pulse experiments were carried out with a view to correlating the ability of metal sites to activate methane in the absence of oxygen with the performance for CPO and wet-CPO reactions.