Stabilization of Ni/Al2O3 catalyst by Cu addition for CO2 reforming of methane

CuNi/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared to investigate the effects of the Cu addition to Ni/Al2O3 catalyst in CO2 reforming of methane. The Ni-Cu alloy on the reduced CuNi/Al2O3 catalysts was confirmed by a XRD. The 1 wt.% Cu addition to the Ni/Al2O3 catalyst enhanced the stability and the activity of the Ni/Al2O3 Catalyst, but CuNi/Al2O3 catalysts added over 5% Cu were deactivated more rapidly than the Ni/Al2O3 catalyst without Cu component. TPO experiments showed that the carbon deposition on Cu(I)Ni/Al2O3 was minimized, but that on CuNi/Al2O3 with the Cu amount above 5 wt.% such deposition was enhanced during CO2 reforming of methane. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.