Enhanced photocatalytic carbon dioxide reforming of methane to fuels over nickel and montmorillonite supported TiO2 nanocomposite under UV-light using monolith photoreactor

Conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) to fuels using photo-technology is a cleaner pathway compared to thermal reforming, since its uses only light irradiations, while producing valuable chemicals. In this study, structured nickel (Ni) and montmorillonite (MMT) supported TiO2 composite, synthesized by a sol-gel method, was tested for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 using fixed-bed and monolith photoreactors. The performance of structured nanocatalyst was evaluated using CO2-H2 system via photocatalytic reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction and CO2-CH4 system via photocatalytic dry reforming of methane (DRM). Using photocatalytic RWGS, CO was detected as the main products, while the performance of Ni-MMT/TiO2 composite was expressively higher than using MMT/TiO2 and TiO2 catalysts. This was obviously due to larger surface area by MMT dispersion and hindered charges recombination rate by Ni. Similarly, using DRM, H2 and CO were the main products, while their selectivity was greatly dependent on the initial CH4/CO2 molar feed ratios. At a lower CH4/CO2 ratio, more CO was produced, while a higher feed ratio promoted H2 production. This shows, composite catalyst was more favorable for CO2 adsorption, while CH4 was competitively adsorbed during photo-catalysis process. Comparatively, Ni-MMT/TiO2 catalyst reveals higher photo-activity and selectivity in a monolith photoreactor than using fixed-bed reactor under the same operating conditions. This enhanced photoactivity was due to higher photonic flux with enlarged active surface area due to monolithic support and efficient sorption process. The stability of Ni/TiO2 dispersed MMT for CO and H2 production via DRM process sustained in cyclic runs using monolithic support. Hence, using Ni/MMT modified TiO2 catalyst in a monolith photoreactor, CO2 and CH4 can efficiently be converted to renewable fuels under light irradiations and would be a great benefit to the environment.