Strontium-Promoted Ni-Catalyst Supported over MgO for Partial Oxidation of Methane: Unveiling a Cost-Effective Catalyst System for Fast Mitigation of Methane
Fekri Abdulraqeb Ahmed Ali, Kirankumar J. Chaudhary, Ahmed A. Ibrahim, Nawaf N. Alotaibi, Seham S. Alterary, Farid Fadhillah, Rawesh Kumar, Ahmed S. Al‐Fatesh
Abstract
CH4 is a powerful greenhouse gas that is thought to be one of the main causes of global warming. The catalytic conversion of methane in the presence of oxygen into hydrogen-rich syngas, known as the partial oxidation of methane (POM), is highly appealing for environmental and synthetic concerns. In search of a cheap catalytic system, the Ni-supported MgO-based (5Ni/MgO) catalyst and the promotional supplement of 1–3 wt.% Sr over 5Ni/MgO are investigated for the POM reaction. Catalysts are characterized by N2 sorption isotherm analysis, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, temperature-programmed desorption techniques, and thermogravimetry. Increasing the loading of strontium over Ni/MgO induced a strong interaction of NiO with the support, pronouncedly. In the presence of oxygen during the POM, the moderate-level interaction of NiO with the support grows markedly. Overall, at a 600 °C reaction temperature, the 5Ni2Sr/MgO catalyst shows 72% CH4 conversion (~67% H2 yield) at 14,400 mL/h/gcat GHSV and ~86% CH4 conversion (84% H2 yield) at 3600 mL/h/gcat GHSV. Achieving a higher activity towards the POM over cheap Ni, Sr, and MgO-based catalysts might draw the attention of environmentalists and industrialists as a low-cost and high-yield system.