Nickel-Based Catalysts for Hydrogen Production Through Partial Oxidation: The Role of KIT-6 and Promoter Effects

Partial oxidation of methane (POM) is a good way to make syngas because it uses exothermic reactions to keep itself going. This study made a series of Ni/KIT-6 catalyst precursors with Gd (0.5–2 wt.%) added to them and then carefully looked at how they changed into active catalysts. The first tests on the precursors using N2 physisorption, XRD, and H2-TPR showed that they had a high surface area and changed how they reduced. However, the high-temperature activation (700 °C) and reaction (682 °C) conditions caused thermal evolution and sintering. Tests of catalytic performance and RSM optimization found that the 5Ni + 1Gd/KIT-6 formulation was the best. Under the best conditions, it converted 89.0% of CH4 and 87.4% of H2. Using TEM and Raman spectroscopy to look at the used catalysts showed that 1 wt.% Gd was able to control the size distribution of the metallic particles and stop disordered carbon from forming, even after thermal recrystallisation. A 24 h stability test confirmed these findings, indicating a stable H2 yield (85–87%) and minimal performance degradation, thereby demonstrating that Gd promotion maintains the stability of the active metallic phase under operational stress.