Effect of CeO_2 addition on Ni/Al_2O_3 catalysts for methanation of carbon dioxide with hydrogen

The Ni-CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts with a nickel content of 15 wt% prepared via impregnating boehmite were found to be highly active and stable for methanation of carbon dioxide with hydrogen at a H2/CO2 molar ratio of 4. The effects of CeO2 content and reaction temperature on the performance of the Ni-CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts were studied in detail. The results showed that the catalytic performance was strongly dependent on the CeO2 content in Ni-CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts and that the catalysts with 2 wt% CeO2 had the highest catalytic activity among the tested ones at 350 ℃. The XRD and H2-TPR characterizations revealed that the addition of CeO2 decreased the reduction temperature by altering the interaction between Ni and Al2O3, and improved the reducibility of the catalyst. Preliminary stability test of 120 h on stream over the Ni-2CeO2/Al2O3 catalyst at 350 ℃ revealed that the catalyst was much better than the unpromoted one.

Effects of Promoters on a Ru/Sepiolite Catalyst for Carbon Dioxide Methanation

In this work, CO_2 methanation has been investigated over Ru-based catalysts.The effects of promoters on the activity, selectivity and reduction properties of the Ru/sepiolitecatalyst were analyzed by kinetic and thermodynamic methods. The catalysts were characterized bymeans of TPD, and the results revealed that the addition of Mo, Mn or Co improved the properties ofthe Ru/sepiolite catalyst. The effects of promoters could affect the change of enthalpy, entropy andchemical potential.

Effect of Transition Metals on Catalytic Performance of Ru/Sepiolite Catalyst for Methanation of Carbon Dioxide

The effects of Mo, Mn and Zr transitional metals on the catalytic performance of Ru/sepiolite for CO2 methanation were investigated. The results indicated that addition of the transitional metals affected the activity of the Ru/sepiolite remarkably, and the activities of the catalysts were closely associated with the electronic state of the ruthenium surface. The addition of Mo increased the active surface area, the Ru dispersity, the number of active sites, and the resistance to poisoning. According to the Transition State Theory, when Mo is added into the Ru/sepiolite catalyst, the decrease in surface energy is at a cost of an increment in steric hindrance. When T≤674 K, the energy factor was dominating, and resulted in a decreasing in the ratio of S(CU4)/S(CO). Otherwise, the steric factor dominated the reaction course.

Syngas Production by Methane Reforming with Carbon Dioxide on Noble Metal Catalysts

A series of noble metal catalysts （Ru, Rh, Ir, Pt, and Pd） supported on alumina-stabilized magnesia （Spinel） were used to produce syngas by methane reforming with carbon dioxide. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using BET, TPR, TPO, TPH, and H2S chemisorption techniques. The activity results showed high activity and stability for the Ru and Rh catalysts. The TPO and TPH analyses indicated that the main reason for lower activity and stability of the Pd catalyst was the formation of the less reactive deposited carbon and sintering of the catalyst.

Effects of Ce/Zr ratio on the structure and performances of Co-Ce_(1-x)Zr_xO_2 catalysts for carbon dioxide reforming of methane

The Co-incorporated Ce1-xZrxO2 catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation for carbon dioxide reforming of methane.The ratio of Ce to Zr was varied to optimize the performances of co-precipitated Co-Ce-Zr-Ox catalysts.The prepared catalysts were characterized by various physico-chemical characterization techniques including TPR,X-ray diffraction,N2 adsorption at low temperature,XPS and CO2-TPSR.The co-precipitated Co-Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 sample containing 16% CoO exhibited a higher catalytic activity among the five catalysts,and the activity was maintained without significant loss during the reaction for 60 h.Under the conditions of 750 ℃,0.1 MPa,36000 ml/（h gcat）,and CO2/CH4 molar ratio of 1：1,the CO2 conversion over this catalyst was 75% while the CH4 conversion was 67%.The cubic Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 facilitated a higher dispersion and a higher reducibility of the cobalt component,and the apparent activation energy for Co-Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 sample was 49.1 kJ/mol in the CO2/CH4 reforming reaction.As a result,the Co-Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 sample exhibited a higher activity and stability for the reforming of CH4 with CO2.

Screening of MgO- and CeO_2-Based Catalysts for Carbon Dioxide Oxidative Coupling of Methane to C_(2+) Hydrocarbons

The catalyst screening tests for carbon dioxide oxidative coupling of methane (CO2-OCM) have been investigated over ternary and binary metal oxide catalysts. The catalysts are prepared by doping MgO- and CeO2-based solids with oxides from alkali (Li2O), alkaline earth (CaO), and transition metal groups (WO3 or MnO). The presence of the peroxide (O2-2) active sites on the Li2O2, revealed by Raman spectroscopy, may be the key factor in the enhanced performance of some of the Li2O/MgO catalysts. The high reducibility of the CeO2 catalyst, an important factor in the CO2-OCM catalyst activity, may be enhanced by the presence of manganese oxide species. The manganese oxide species increases oxygen mobility and oxygen vacancies in the CeO2 catalyst. Raman and Fourier Transform Infra Red (FT-IR) spectroscopies revealed the presence of lattice vibrations of metal-oxygen bondings and active sites in which the peaks corresponding to the bulk crystalline structures of Li2O, CaO, WO3 and MnO are detected. The performance of 5%MnO/15%CaO/CeO2 catalyst is the most potential among the CeO2-based catalysts, although lower than the 2%Li2O/MgO catalyst. The 2%Li2O/MgO catalyst showed the most promising C2+ hydrocarbons selectivity and yield at 98.0% and 5.7%, respectively.

Nickel catalysts supported on MgO with different specific surface area for carbon dioxide reforming of methane

In this paper, three kinds of MgO with different specific surface area were prepared, and their effects on the catalytic performance of nickel catalysts for the carbon dioxide reforming of methane were investigated. The results showed that MgO support with the higher specific surface area led to the higher dispersion of the active metal, which resulted in the higher initial activity. On the other hand, the specific surface area of MgO materials might not be the dominant factor for the basicity of support to chemisorb and activate CO2, which was another important factor for the performance of catalysts. Herein, Ni/MgO(CA) catalyst with proper specific surface area and strong ability to activate CO2exhibited stable catalytic property and the carbon species deposited on the Ni/MgO(CA) catalyst after 10 h of reaction at 650 ?C were mainly activated carbon species.

Study on the Reaction Mechanism for Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane over supported Nickel Catalyst

The adsorption and dissociation of methane and carbon dioxide for reforming on nickel catalyst were extensively investigated by TPSR and TPD experiments. It showed that the decomposition of methane results in the formation of at least three kinds of surface carbon species on supported nickel catalyst, while CO2 adsorbed on the catalyst weakly and only existed in one kind of adsorption state. Then the mechanism of interaction between the species dissociated from CH4 and CO2 during reforming was proposed.

Effect of MgO promoter on Ni-based SBA-15 catalysts for combined steam and carbon dioxide reforming of methane

A series of Ni/SBA-15 catalysts with Ni contents ranging from 5 wt% to 15 wt%, as well as another series of 10%Ni/MgO/SBA-15 catalysts, in which the range of the MgO content was from 1 wt% to 7 wt%, were prepared, and their catalytic performances for the reaction of combined steam and carbon dioxide reforming of methane were investigated in a continuous flow microreactor. The structures of the catalysts were characterized using the XRD, H2-TPR and CO2-TPD techniques. The results indicated that the CO selectivity for this reaction was very close to 100%, and the H2/CO ratio of the product gas could be controlled by changing the H2O/CO2 molar ratio of the feed gas. The simultaneous and plentiful existing of steam and CO2 had a significant influence on the catalytic performance of the 10%Ni/SBA-15 catalyst without modification. After reacting at 850 °C for 120 h over this catalyst, the CH4 conversion dropped from 98% to 85%, and the CO2 conversion decreased from 86% to 53%. However, the 10%Ni/3%MgO/SBA-15 catalyst exhibited a much better catalytic performance, and after reacting for 620 h, the CO2 conversion over this catalyst dropped from 92% to around 77%, while the CH4 conversion was not decreased. Oxidation of the Ni0 species as well as carbon deposition during the reaction were the main reasons for the deactivation of the catalyst without modification. On the other hand, modification by the MgO promoter improved the dispersion of the Ni0 species, and enhanced the CO2 adsorption affinity which in turn depressed the occurring of carbon deposition, and thus retarded the deactivation process.

A perspective on the electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol with metallomacrocyclic catalysts

Electrocatalytic carb on dioxide reducti on(CO_(2)R)presents a promising route to establish zero-e mission carb on cycle and store in termittent ren ewable energy into chemical fuels for steady energy supply.Methanol is an ideal energy carrier as alternative fuels and one of the most important commodity chemicals.Nevertheless,methanol is currently mainly produced from fossil-based syngas,the production of which yields tremendous carb on emission globally.Direct CO_(2)R towards metha nol poses great potential to shift the paradigm of methanol production.In this perspective,we focus our discussions on producing methanol from electrochemical CO_(2)R,using metallomacrocyclic molecules as the model catalysts.We discuss the motivation of having methanol as the sole CO_(2)R product,the documented application of metallomacrocyclic catalysts for CO_(2)R,and recent advance in catalyzing CO_(2) to methanol with cobalt phthalocyanine-based catalysts.We attempt to understand the key factors in determining the activity,selectivity,and stability of electrocatalytic CO_(2)-to-methanol conversion,and to draw mechanistic insights from existing observations.Finally,we identify the challenges hindering methanol electrosynthesis directly from CO_(2) and some intriguing directions worthy of further investigation and exploration.

Carbon dioxide reforming of methane on monolithic Ni/Al_2O_3-based catalysts

Nickel-alumina catalysts supported on cordierite monoliths of honeycomb structure surpass essentially the conventional granulated ones with respect to the output in carbon dioxide reforming of methane. Adjusting the surface acid-base properties of catalysts by introduction of alkali metal （Na, K） oxides inhibits the carbonization and as a result, improves the operational stability of these catalysts. An effect of promotion of nickel-alumina based composite doped by lanthanum oxide is found. This effect, caused by an additional route for the CO2 activation on Ni-La2O3/Al2O3/cordierite catalyst, is displayed in increase of methane conversion under conditions of an oxidant excess.

Syngas production by combined carbon dioxide reforming and partial oxidation of methane over Ni/α-Al_2O_3 catalysts

Ni/α-Al2O3 catalysts were found to be active in the temperature range 600 ～ 900℃ for both CO2 reforming and partial oxidation of methane.The effects of Ni loading,reaction temperature and feed gas ratio for the combination of CO2 reforming and partial oxidation of CH4 over Ni/α-Al2O3 were investigated.Catalysts of xwt%Ni/α-Al2O3（x=2.5,5,8 and 12） were prepared by wet impregnating the calcined support with a solution of nickel nitrate.XRD patterns and activity tests have verified that the 5wt%Ni/α-Al2O3 was the most active catalyst,as compared with the other prepared catalyst samples.An increase of the Ni loading to more than 5wt% led to a reduction in the Ni dispersion.In addition,by combining the endothermic carbon dioxide reforming reaction with the exothermic partial oxidation reaction,the loss of catalyst activity with time on stream was reduced with the amount of oxygen added to the feed.

Carbon dioxide reforming of methane over bimetallic catalysts of Pt-Ru/γ-Al_2O_3 for thermochemical energy storage

The reaction of CO2 reforming of CH4 has been investigated with y-A1203-supported platinum and ruthenium bimetallic catalysts, with the specific purpose of thermochemical energy storage. The catalysts were prepared by using the wetness impregnation method. The prepared catalysts were characterized by a series of physico-chemical characterization techniques such as BET surface area, thermo-gravimetric （TG）, transmission electron microscope （TEM） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. In addition, the amount of carbon deposits on the surface of the catalysts and the type of the carbonaceous species were discussed by TG. It was found that the bimetallic Pt-Ru/7-A1203 catalysts exhibit both superior catalytic activity and remarkable stability by comparison of monometallic catalysts. During the 500 h stability test, the bimetallic catalyst showed a good performance at 800 ~C in CO2 reforming of CH4, exhibiting an excellent anti-carbon performance with the mass loss of less than 8.5%. The results also indicate that CO2 and CH4 have quite stable conversions of 96.0 % and 94.0 %, respectively. Also, the selectivity of the catalysts is excellent with the products ratio of CO/H2 maintaining at 1.02. Furthermore, it was found in TEM images that the active carbonaceous species were formed during the catalytic reaction, and well-distributed dot-shaped metallic particles with a relatively uniform size of about 3 nm as well as amorphous carbon structures were observed. Combined with BET, TG, TEM tests, it is concluded that the selected bimetallic catalysts can work continuously in a stable state at the high temperature, which has a potential to be utilized for the closed-loop cycle of the solar thermochemical energy storage in future industry applications.

Catalytic Performance of CeO_2/ZnO Nanocatalysts on the Oxidative Coupling of Methane with Carbon Dioxide and their Fractal Features

CeO2/ZnO nanocatalysts were prepared from the coupling route of homogeneous precipita-tion with microemulsion and the impregnation method. The catalytic performance of these two kinds of catalysts on the oxidative coupling of methane with carbon dioxide was tested and compared; the frac-tal behavior of the nanocatalysts was analyzed using fractal theory. The CeO2/ZnO nanocatalysts had much higher activity than the catalysts prepared by impregnation method. There was no regular relation-ship between the average size of CeO2/ZnO nanocatalysts and their catalytic performance; however, the conversion of methane increased with the increase of the fractal dimension of CeO2/ZnO nanocatalysts.

Advances in the studies of the supported ruthenium catalysts for CO_(2) methanation

CO_(2) methanation has a potential in the large-scale utilization of carbon dioxide.It has also been considered to be useful for the renewable energy storage.The commercial pipeline for natural gas transportation can be directly applied for the methane product of CO_(2) methanation.The supported ruthenium(Ru)catalyst has been confirmed to be active and stable for CO_(2) methanation with its high ability in the dissociation of hydrogen and the strong binding of carbon monoxide.CO_(2) methanation over the supported Ru catalyst is structure sensitive.The size of the Ru catalyst and the support have significant effects on the activity and the mechanism.A significant challenge re-mained is the structural controllable preparation of the supported Ru catalyst toward a sufficiently high low-temperature activity.In this review,the recent progresses in the investigations of the supported Ru catalysts for CO_(2) methanation are summarized.The challenges and the future devel-opments are also discussed.

Catalytic carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methane: A review of recent studies

Recently, various efforts have been put forward on the development of technologies for the synthesis of methane from CO2 and H-2, since it can offer a solution for renewable H-2 storage and transportation. In parallel, this reaction is considered to be a critical step in reclaiming oxygen within a closed cycle. Over the years, extensive fundamental research works on CO2 methanation have been investigated and reported in the literatures. In this updated review, we present a comprehensive overview of recent publications during the last 3 years. Various aspects on this reaction system are described in detail, such as thermodynamic considerations, catalyst innovations, the influence of reaction conditions, overall catalytic performance, and reaction mechanism. Finally, the future development of CO2 methanation is discussed. (C) 2016 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.

Extraction of methane hydrate energy by carbon dioxide injection-key challenges and a paradigm shift

Significant effort including field work has been devoted to develop a natural gas extraction technology from natural gas hydrate reservoirs through the injection of carbon dioxide. Natural gas hydrate is practically methane hydrate. The hypothesis is that carbon dioxide will be stored as hydrate owing to its favorable stability conditions compared to methane hydrate. Although the dynamics of the CO2/CH4 exchange process are not entirely understood it is established that the exchange process is feasible. The extent is limited but even if the CH4 recovery is optimized there is a need for a CH4/CO2 separation plant to enable a complete cyclic sequence of CO2 capture, injection and CH4 recovery. In this paper we propose an alternative paradigm to the Inject(CO2)/Exchange with(CH4)/Recover(CH4) one namely Recover(CH4) first and then Inject(CO2) for Storage.

Carbon Dioxide/Methane Separation by Adsorption on Sepiolite

In this work, the use of sepiolite for the removal of carbon dioxide from a carbon dioxide/methane mixture by a pressure swing adsorption （PSA） process has been researched. Adsorption equilibrium and kinetics have been measured in a fixed-bed, and the adsorption equilibrium parameters of carbon dioxide and methane on sepiolite have been obtained. A model based on the LDF approximation has been employed to simulate the fixed-bed kinetics, using the Langmuir equation to describe the adsorption equilibrium isotherm. The functioning of a PSA cycle for separating carbon dioxide/methane mixtures using sepiolite as adsorbent has also been studied. The experimental results were compared with the ones predicted by the model adapted to a PSA system. Methane with purity higher than 97% can be obtained from feeds containing carbon dioxide with concentrations ranging from 34% to 56% with the proposed PSA cycle. These results suggest that sepiolite is an adsorbent with good properties for its employment in a PSA cycle for carbon dioxide removal from landfill gases.

Effects of Irrigation on Nitrous Oxide,Methane and Carbon Dioxide Fluxes in an Inner Mongolian Steppe

Increased precipitation during the vegetation periods was observed in and further predicted for Inner Mongolia. The changes in the associated soil moisture may affect the biosphere-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases. Therefore, we set up an irrigation experiment with one watered （W） and one unwatered plot （UW） at a winter-grazed Leymus chinensis-steppe site in the Xilin River catchment, Inner Mongolia. UW only received the natural precipitation of 2005 （129 mm）, whereas W was additionally watered after the precipitation data of 1998 （in total 427 mm）. In the 3-hour resolution, we determined nitrous oxide （N20）, methane （CH4） and carbon dioxide （CO2） fluxes at both plots between May and September 2005, using a fully automated, chamber-based measuring system. N20 fluxes in the steppe were very low, with mean emissions （±s.e.） of 0.9-4-0.5 and 0.7-4-0.5 μg N m^-2 h^-1 at W and UW, respectively. The steppe soil always served as a CH4 sink, with mean fluxes of -24.1-4-3.9 and -31.1-4- 5.3 μg C m^-2 h^-1 at W and UW. Nighttime mean CO2 emissions were 82.6±8.7 and 26.3±1.7 mg C m^-2 h^-1 at W and UW, respectively, coinciding with an almost doubled aboveground plant biomass at W. Our results indicate that the ecosystem CO2 respiration responded sensitively to increased water input during the vegetation period, whereas the effects on CH4 and N2O fluxes were weak, most likely due to the high evapotranspiration and the lack of substrate for N2O producing processes. Based on our results, we hypothesize that with the gradual increase of summertime precipitation in Inner Mongolia, ecosystem CO2 respiration will be enhanced and CH4 uptake by the steppe soils will be lightly inhibited.

Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to methanol by Cu_2O/SiC nanocrystallite under visible light irradiation

The Cu2O/SiC photocatalyst was obtained from SiC nanoparticles （NPs） modified by Cu2O. Their photocatalytic activities for reducing CO2 to CH3OH under visible light irradiation have been investigated. The results indicated that besides a small quantity of 6H-SiC, SiC NPs mainly consisted of 3C-SiC. The band gaps of SiC and Cu2O were estimated to be about 1.95 and 2.23 eV from UV-Vis spectra, respectively. The Cu2O modification can enhance the photocatalytic performance of SiC NPs, and the largest yields of methanol on SiC, Cu2O and Cu2O/SiC photocatalysts under visible light irradiation were 153, 104 and 191μmol/g, respectively.