Tri-reforming of methane over Ni/ZrO 2 catalyst derived from Zr-MOF for the production of synthesis gas.

The increasing concentration of CO ₂ and CH ₄ in the environment is a global concern. Tri-reforming of methane (TRM) is a promising route for the conversion of these two greenhouse gases to more valuable synthesis gas with an H ₂ /CO ratio of 1.5-2. In this study, a series of Zr-MOF synthesized via the solvothermal method and impregnation technique was used to synthesize the nickel impregnated on MOF-derived ZrO ₂ catalyst. The catalyst was characterized by various methods, including N ₂ -porosimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed reduction (TPR), CO ₂ -temperature programmed desorption (CO ₂ -TPD), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), chemisorption, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Characterization results confirmed the formation of the Zr-MOF and nickel metal dispersed on MOF-derived ZrO ₂ . Further, the tri-reforming activity of the catalyst developed was evaluated in a downflow-packed bed reactor. The various catalysts were screened for TRM activity at different temperatures (600-850 °C). Results demonstrated that TRM was highly favorable over the NZ-1000 catalyst due to its desirable physicochemical properties, including nickel metal surface area (2.3 m ² /g _cat ^-1 ), metal dispersion (7.1%), and nickel metal reducibility (45%), respectively. Over the NZ-1000 catalyst, an optimum H ₂ /CO ratio of ~ 1.6-2 was achieved at 750 °C, and it was stable for a longer period of time.
(© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)