Calcium-Functionalized MgCeAl-Supported Nickel Catalysts for Enhancing Syngas Production via Dry Reforming

The dry reforming reaction offers a promising pathway to transform CO₂ and CH₄ gases into H₂ and CO, which serve as vital reactants and fuel gases in various industrial chemical processes. This research focused on the modification of Ni-based catalysts with alkaline earth metal for a dry reforming reaction. Nickel impregnated into mixed MgCeAl (MCA) oxide supports, tailored with calcium (Ca), was fabricated through a soft template-assisted coprecipitation technique, employing cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) as the template. The calcium modification of MCA oxides supporting the nickel catalyst augmented the reducibility of nickel and intensified the interaction between nickel and the oxide support. In evaluating performance, Ni/0.3Ca-MCA catalyst demonstrated superior CH₄ and CO₂ conversions, an optimal H₂/CO ratio, and enhanced stability compared to other catalysts. This improvement can be attributed to the Ca addition, which likely enhances the basic sites on the catalyst, promoting CO₂ adsorption and its simultaneous dissociation and thereby reducing coke formation.