Ni/Al2O3 catalyst-assisted methane carbon cyclic reforming for sequential H2 and CO production

Methane carbon cyclic reforming (MCCR) represents a novel dry methane reforming (DMR) reaction, offering advantages in terms of greenhouse gas utilization and automatic product separation. This study dedicated to exploring the potential of the MCCR method for continuous and long-term production of H 2 and CO fuels. Using a self-synthesized Ni/Al 2 O 3 catalyst, we elucidated at the microscopic level the advantages of directional conversion of carbon and hydrogen elements during the MCCR process, as well as its underlying mechanism. Through in-situ testing and microscopic characterization, it was confirmed that the decoupling of the MCCR reaction can suppress side reactions, and prevent excessive graphitization of carbon deposits and promote their removal by switching reaction mechanisms promptly. The long-term continuous fuel production experiment was conducted at the macroscopic level for validating these findings. The catalyst’s stability was confirmed by 2750 min of continuous TGA cycling tests, maintaining a carbon removal ratio of 99.99% after 250 cycles. This performance was further validated in a fixed-bed reactor, where an average H-C ratio of 1.13 was sustained over 40 cycles during a 20-hour long-term test. This research paves the way for the advancement of MCCR technology and complements conventional DMR methods for the production of clean fuel.