Enhanced activity and coke resistivity of NiCoFe nanoalloy catalyst in CO2 reforming of methane

NiCo nanoalloy catalysts were prepared from hydrotalcite precursors and used in CO2 reforming of methane (DRM) under atmospheric and 2 MPa pressure in a fixed-bed reactor at 700-850 °C. The Ni6Co1 catalyst with a molar ratio of Ni/Co to 6 showed the highest stability and activity in DRM under atmospheric pressure. This was due to the homogeneous dispersion of nanoalloy particles (∼14 nm) on the MgAl(O) support, which had a strong metal-support interaction. Nonetheless, a slow and continuous deactivation was spotted under 2 MPa pressure due to the coke deposition. Further modification of Ni6Co1 with optimum amount of Fe (in Ni6Co0.5Fe0.5) formed ternary NiCoFe nanoalloy with improved metal-support interaction and reduced alloy size (∼10 nm). The presence of Fe significantly improved the coke resistance capability and provided high stability under 2 MPa pressure.