Synthesis of silica supported ni and cu catalyst for carbon dioxide methanation reaction

Abstract

In this study we investigate the synthesis of nickel and copper catalyst supported on silica for CO2 conversion to methane. The activity and product selectivity and stability for methanation reaction on Ni/SiO2 and Cu/SiO2 catalysts have been evaluated using a flow reactor between 50ºC - 650ºC. The as-synthesized catalysts were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM to understand the structural properties. In addition, the used catalysts after the reaction were characterized using similar techniques to evaluate the effect of reaction conditions on active phase and SiO2 support. The 1%Ni on SiO2 catalyst shows good activity for CO2 conversion to CH4 till 450ºC, thereafter CH4 formation decreased and CO increased and remains the only product at 650ºC. The Ni/SiO2 catalyst shows excellent stability without any deactivation till 2700 min of TOS at 650ºC. The other catalysts, 1%Cu on SiO2 was also promising however, it is exclusively selective to CO and no trace of CH4 was obtained.