Ru–Ni Catalyst in the Combined Dry-Steam Reforming of Methane: The Importance in the Metal Order Addition

Catalytic Upgrading of Biomass-Gasification Mixtures Using Ni-Fe/MgAl2O4 as a Bifunctional Catalyst

Biomass gasification streams typically contain a mixture of CO, H₂, CH₄, and CO₂ as the majority components and frequently require conditioning for downstream processes. Herein, we investigate the catalytic upgrading of surrogate biomass gasifiers through the generation of syngas. Seeking a bifunctional system capable of converting CO₂ and CH₄ to CO, a reverse water gas shift (RWGS) catalyst based on Fe/MgAl₂O₄ was decorated with an increasing content of Ni metal and evaluated for producing syngas using different feedstock compositions. This approach proved efficient for gas upgrading, and the incorporation of adequate Ni content increased the CO content by promoting the RWGS and dry reforming of methane (DRM) reactions. The larger CO productivity attained at high temperatures was intimately associated with the generation of FeNi₃ alloys. Among the catalysts' series, Ni-rich catalysts favored the CO productivity in the presence of CH₄, but important carbon deposition processes were noticed. On the contrary, 2Ni-Fe/MgAl₂O₄ resulted in a competitive and cost-effective system delivering large amounts of CO with almost no coke deposits. Overall, the incorporation of a suitable realistic application for valorization of variable composition of biomass-gasification derived mixtures obtaining a syngas-rich stream thus opens new routes for biosyngas production and upgrading.

Catalytic Upgrading of Clean Biogas to Synthesis Gas

Clean biogas, produced by anaerobic digestion of biomasses or organic wastes, is one of the most promising substitutes for natural gas. After its purification, it can be valorized through different reforming processes that convert CH4 and CO2 into synthesis gas (a mixture of CO and H2). However, these processes have many issues related to the harsh conditions of reaction used, the high carbon formation rate and the remarkable endothermicity of the reforming reactions. In this context, the use of the appropriate catalyst is of paramount importance to avoid deactivation, to deal with heat issues and mild reaction conditions and to attain an exploitable syngas composition. The development of a catalyst with high activity and stability can be achieved using different active phases, catalytic supports, promoters, preparation methods and catalyst configurations. In this paper, a review of the recent findings in biogas reforming is presented. The different elements that compose the catalytic system are systematically reviewed with particular attention on the new findings that allow to obtain catalysts with high activity, stability, and resistance towards carbon formation.

Bimetallic Ni-Ru and Ni-Re Catalysts for Dry Reforming of Methane: Understanding the Synergies of the Selected Promoters

Designing an economically viable catalyst that maintains high catalytic activity and stability is the key to unlock dry reforming of methane (DRM) as a primary strategy for biogas valorization. Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts have been widely used for this purpose; however, several modifications have been reported in the last years in order to prevent coke deposition and deactivation of the samples. Modification of the acidity of the support and the addition of noble metal promoters are between the most reported strategies. Nevertheless, in the task of designing an active and stable catalyst for DRM, the selection of an appropriate noble metal promoter is turning more challenging owing to the lack of homogeneity of the different studies. Therefore, this research aims to compare Ru (0.50 and 2.0%) and Re (0.50 and 2.0%) as noble metal promoters for a Ni/MgAl₂O₄ catalyst under the same synthesis and reaction conditions. Catalysts were characterized by XRF, BET, XRD, TPR, hydrogen chemisorption (H₂-TPD), and dry reforming reaction tests. Results show that both promoters increase Ni reducibility and dispersion. However, Ru seems a better promoter for DRM since 0.50% of Ru increases the catalytic activity in 10% and leads to less coke deposition.

The Effects of CeO2 and Co Doping on the Properties and the Performance of the Ni/Al2O3-MgO Catalyst for the Combined Steam and CO2 Reforming of Methane Using Ultra-Low Steam to Carbon Ratio

In this paper, the 10 wt% Ni/Al2O3-MgO (10Ni/MA), 5 wt% Ni-5 wt% Ce/Al2O3-MgO (5Ni5Ce/MA), and 5 wt% Ni-5 wt% Co/Al2O3-MgO (5Ni5Co/MA) catalysts were prepared by an impregnation method. The effects of CeO2 and Co doping on the physicochemical properties of the Ni/Al2O3-MgO catalyst were comprehensively studied by N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), H2 temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), CO2 temperature programmed reduction (CO2-TPD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effects on catalytic performance for the combined steam and CO2 reforming of methane with the low steam-to-carbon ratio (S/C ratio) were evaluated at 620 °C under atmospheric pressure. The appearance of CeO2 and Co enhanced the oxygen species at the surface that decreased the coke deposits from 17% for the Ni/MA catalyst to 11–12% for the 5Ni5Ce/MA and 5Ni5Co/MA catalysts. The oxygen vacancies in the 5Ni5Ce/MA catalyst promoted water activation and dissociation, producing surface oxygen with a relatively high H2/CO ratio (1.6). With the relatively low H2/CO ratio (1.3), the oxygen species at the surface was enhanced by CO2 activation-dissociation via the redox potential in the 5Ni5Co/MA catalyst. The improvement of H2O and CO2 dissociative adsorption allowed the 5Ni5Ce/MA and 5Ni5Co/MA catalysts to resist the carbon formation, requiring only a low amount of steam to be added.

Combined Reforming of Clean Biogas over Nanosized Ni–Rh Bimetallic Clusters

The combined steam/dry reforming of clean biogas (CH4/CO2 = 50/50 v/v) represents an innovative way to produce synthesis gas (CO + H2) using renewable feeds, avoiding to deplete the fossil resources and increase CO2 pollution. The reaction was carried out to optimize the reaction conditions for the production of a syngas with a H2/CO ratio suitable for the production of methanol or fuels without any further upgrading. Ni-Rh/Mg/Al/O catalysts obtained from hydrotalcite-type precursors showed high performances in terms of clean biogas conversion due to the formation of very active and resistant Ni-Rh bimetallic nanoparticles. Through the utilization of a {Ni10Rh(CO)19}{(CH3CH2)4N}3 cluster as a precursor of the active particles, it was possible to promote the Ni-Rh interaction and thus obtain low metal loading catalysts composed by highly dispersed bimetallic nanoparticles supported on the MgO, MgAl2O4 matrix. The optimization of the catalytic formulation improved the size and the distribution of the active sites, leading to a better catalyst activity and stability, with low carbon deposition with time-on-stream.

The Demonstration of the Superiority of the Dual Ni-Based Catalytic System for the Adjustment of the H2/CO Ratio in Syngas for Green Fuel Technologies

A novel dual Ni-based catalytic process (DCP) to control the H2/CO ratio of 2 in the syngas product within one step at temperature <700 °C was created and constructed. With the sequence of the catalysts located in the single reactor, the endothermic combined steam and CO2 reforming of methane (CSCRM) reaction and the exothermic ultra-high-temperature water–gas shift (UHT-WGS) reaction work continuously. During the process, the H2/CO ratio is raised suddenly at UHT-WGS after the syngas is produced from CSCRM, and CSCRM utilizes the heat released from UHT-WGS. Due to these features, DCP is more compact, enhances energy efficiency, and thus decreases the capital cost compared to reformers connecting with shift reactors. To prove this propose, the DCP tests were done in a fixed-bed reactor under various conditions (temperature = 500, 550, and 600 °C; the feed mixture (CH4, CO2, H2O, and N2) with H2O/(CH4 + CO2) ratio = 0.33, 0.53, and 0.67). According to the highest CH4 conversion (around 65%) with carbon tolerance, the recommended conditions for producing syngas with the H2/CO ratio of 2 as a feedstock of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis include the temperature of 600 °C and the H2O/(CH4 + CO2) ratio of 0.53.