A nickel-modified perovskite-supported iron oxide oxygen carrier for chemical looping dry reforming of methane for syngas production

The chemical looping dry reforming of methane (CLDRM) process, which converts methane and carbon dioxide into syngas, is an environmentally friendly greenhouse gas utilization strategy. In this work, it is demonstrated that a nickel-modified perovskite-supported iron-based oxygen carrier (Ni-Fe2O3/La0.8Sr0.2FeO3) significantly enhances the reactivity of CLDRM in the temperature range of 770–800 °C while maintaining high CO selectivity and oxygen capacity, as well as good carbon deposition resistance. With the addition of nickel, the methane conversion is 52 % higher than that without nickel at 800 °C. Rational coupling of the oxygen carrier components achieves over 99 % CO selectivity. 160 consecutive isothermal cycles confirm the outstanding stability of Ni-Fe2O3/La0.8Sr0.2FeO3. Based on the experimental results and characterizations, the evolution scheme and synergistic effects between the components of the Ni-Fe2O3/La0.8Sr0.2FeO3 oxygen carrier for CLDRM reaction are proposed. The results provide a pathway for oxygen carrier design to decrease the reforming temperature while maintaining excellent reaction performance in iron-based chemical looping systems.