Effects of promoters on Ni-Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 catalyst for Hydrogen production through Tri-Reforming of methane

Tri-reforming of methane (TRM) is an attractive approach for syngas production that combines methane steam reforming (SR), dry reforming (DR) and partial oxidation (POX) reactions in a single process. The key merits of the TRM process are the ability to use flue gas directly in the process feedstock, great flexibility to control the H2/CO ratio for downstream processes, and relatively lower energy demand and carbon footprint. The development of a validated catalyst is still one of the main issues related to the industrial application of the process. This work focused on the development of a Nickel based catalyst on a Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 (CZO) support. The doping of the support with Mg, La, Gd, and Y, could make the catalyst more stable toward deactivation phenomena of sintering and carbon deposition. Furthermore, the properties of the structure depend on the synthesis method used, and this work validated the surfactant-templating method, which allows to obtain supports with high surface area, smaller crystalline size and the desired Ce:Zr ratio. Moreover, the effect of a bimetallic Rh-Ni active phase, with different weight ratio and supported on CZO, was analyzed. The insertion of a noble metal significantly enhanced the activity of the catalyst and the resistance toward deactivation, but a loading of Rh over 0.5% w/w could inefficiently impact the activity of the catalyst.