Solution combustion synthesis of Ni/La2O3 for dry reforming of methane: tuning the basicity via alkali and alkaline earth metal oxide promoters

The production of syngas via dry reforming of methane (DRM) has drawn tremendous research interest, ascribed to its remarkable economic and environmental impacts. Herein, we report the synthesis of K, Na, Cs, Li, and Mg-promoted Ni/La2O3 using solution combustion synthesis (SCS). The properties of the catalysts were determined by N2 physisorption experiments, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), and H2-TPR (temperature programmed reduction). In addition, their catalytic performance towards DRM was evaluated at 700 °C. The results demonstrated that all catalysts exhibited porous structures with high specific surface area, in particular, Mg-promoted Ni/La2O3 (Mg–Ni–La2O3) which depicted the highest surface area and highest pore volume (54.2 m2 g−1, 0.36 cm3 g−1). Furthermore, Mg–Ni–La2O3 exhibited outstanding catalytic performance in terms of activity and chemical stability compared to its counterparts. For instance, at a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 30 000 mL g−1 h−1, it afforded 83.2% methane conversion and 90.8% CO2 conversion at 700 °C with no detectable carbon deposition over an operating period of 100 h. The superb DRM catalytic performance of Mg–Ni–La2O3 was attributed to the high specific surface area/porosity, strong metal-support interaction (MSI), and enhanced basicity, in particular the strong basic sites compared to other promoted catalysts. These factors remarkably enhance the catalytic performance and foster resistance to coke deposition.