Methanation of carbon dioxide over mesoporous Ni–Fe–Al2O3 catalysts prepared by a coprecipitation method: Effect of precipitation agent

Mesoporous nickel (30 wt%)–iron (5 wt%)–alumina (denoted as NiFeAl–X) catalysts were prepared by a coprecipitation method with a variation of precipitation agent (X = (NH4)2CO3, Na2CO3, NH4OH, and NaOH), and they were applied to the methane production from CO2 and H2. Metal particle size of reduced NiFeAl–X catalysts decreased in the order of NiFeAl–NaOH > NiFeAl–NH4OH > NiFeAl–Na2CO3 > NiFeAl–(NH4)2CO3. In the methanation of CO2, yield for CH4 increased in the order of NiFeAl–NaOH < NiFeAl–NH4OH < NiFeAl–Na2CO3 < NiFeAl–(NH4)2CO3. This indicates that the catalytic performance in the methanation of CO2 was strongly influenced by the identity of precipitation agent.