Electrospun nanofibrous Ni/LaAlO3 catalysts for syngas production by high temperature methane partial oxidation

Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts have been widely used for methane reforming while the formation of NiAl₂O₄ with low reducibility reduces catalyst efficiency. La₂O₃ was used to promote the catalytic activity of Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts through improving Ni dispersion. LaAlO₃ perovskite showed catalytic activity in methane coupling and also used as a catalyst support for methane reforming. This study systematically investigated the effect of La₂O₃ addition into Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts and found the formation of LaAlO₃ perovskite played an important role, which requires high crystallization temperatures. The thermally-stable structure of nanofibrous catalysts was employed to develop high-performance Ni/LaAlO₃ catalysts. High calcination temperature resulted in the enhanced crystallinity of LaAlO₃ perovskite, improved Ni reducibility and strengthened catalyst/support interaction, which contributed to high catalytic performance during methane partial oxidation. The Ni/LaAlO₃ catalyst calcined at 1100 °C generated a CH₄ conversion of 91.2% during methane partial oxidation with H₂ and CO selectivities of 95.5% and 92.4%, respectively. It is because La₂O₃ addition into Ni/Al₂O₃ promoted Ni reduction via forming LaAlO₃. Therefore, an efficient and thermally-stable fibrous Ni/LaAlO₃ catalyst has been developed for high temperature methane partial oxidation.