Development of a Co-Ni bimetallic aerogel catalyst for hydrogen production via methane oxidative CO2 reforming in a magnetic assisted fluidized bed

A novel nano-sized Co-Ni bimetallic aerogel catalyst was synthesized via the sol gel process followed by the supercritical drying method. The catalyst exhibited at least 28% higher activity and 15% higher H-2 selectivity than those of a monometallic cobalt aerogel catalyst in methane oxidative CO2 (Oxy-CO2) reforming. Cold-model experiments revealed that channels were alleviated and the agglomerate size was reduced when the catalyst was applied in a magnetic assisted fluidized bed (MAFB). Owing to the improved fluidization quality of the catalyst in the MAFB reactor, CH4 conversion was raised by 12% and 7% as compared with those in the fixed bed reactor and the conventional fluidized bed reactor, respectively. Furthermore, the catalytic performance was quite stable during a 50 h reaction. This stable performance can be illustrated both by the superior catalytic property of the Co-Ni bimetallic aerogel catalyst and the intensified gas solid interaction in the MAFB reactor. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. All rights reserved.