ADVANCED BIFUNCTIONAL CORE-SHELL CATALYSTS FOR METHANE REFORMING USING CARBON DIOXIDE

Utilization of CO2 and CH4 to produce hydrogen or syngas via dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction is an environmentally and commercially attractive prospect in view of the escalating global concerns on climate change from anthropogenic CO2 emissions. However, operational challenges stemming from rapid catalyst deactivation by sintering, formation of coke or poisoning by contaminants severely limit the industrial implementation of this technology. The research presented in this PhD thesis aims at developing Ni-containing catalysts with high activity and long-term stability in DRM, through high resistance to coke formation, structural robustness at high temperature, and tolerance to contaminants in the feed. To achieve these goals, core-shell structured catalysts are explored that can resist deactivation in DRM through a synergistic integration of several functionalities such as reducing Ni particle size, suppressing sintering, enhancing metal-support interaction, and incorporating redox-active materials to enhance coke oxidation and removal. At the same time, an endeavor is made to gain fundamental insights into the reaction mechanism on the developed catalysts in order to draw catalyst structure-performance correlations that can serve as the basis for future advancement of the field.

Author dc:creator

• SONALI DAS

• Dry Reforming of Methane, Core-shell catalyst, Coke resistance, Reaction mechanism and kinetics, Carbon dioxide conversion, Hydrogen production