Ni-phyllosilicate structure derived Ni-SiO2-MgO catalysts for bi-reforming applications: acidity, basicity and thermal stability

In this work, Ni-SiO2-MgO materials synthesized via Ni-phyllosilicate (PS) intermediates were explored for bi-reforming of methane (BRM) reaction. The influence of steam and reaction temperature was also investigated for the BRM reaction. Overall, the 15 wt% Ni-30 wt% SiO2-55 wt% MgO (Ni-SiO2-MgO[55]) catalyst maintained exceptional catalytic performance (CH4 and CO2 conversions were 80% and 60%, respectively) at 750 degrees C for 140 h with negligible carbon deposition and also showed a stable H-2/CO of 2.0. The best catalytic performance of the Ni-SiO2-MgO[55] catalyst is attributed to its enhanced basicity strength, reasonable moderate acidity strength and structural stability during high temperature reforming reaction. The formation and presence of Ni-Mg-containing phyllosilicates in fresh and reduced catalysts respectively was confirmed by TEM images and XRD analysis. The T-max of around 750 degrees C in TPR profiles of Ni/SiO2-MgO catalysts further confirms the strength of interactions between Ni and SiO2-MgO support species.