A coke-resistant catalyst for the dry reforming of methane based on Ni nanoparticles confined within rice husk-derived mesoporous materials

Mesoporous MCM-41 materials were obtained using Rice Husk Ashes (RHA) as silica source. Ni-based catalysts were synthesized using two metal incorporation methods, one-pot synthesis combined with microwave heating, and incipient wetness impregnation. Smaller Ni particles were obtained by the former method. The catalyst denominated Ni-MCM had the best performance in the dry reforming of methane reaction at 873 K. High stability was also obtained even after 100 h on stream at 973 K. The mesoporous structure and Ni nanoparticles were not significantly modified, as observed by TEM microscopy. Besides, a very low amount of carbon deposits was detected employing several techniques in the Ni-MCM catalyst used at 973 K.