(514d) Water Vs. Ethanol: Effects of Impregnation Solvent on Ni/SBA-15 Catalyst for CO Methanation Reaction

A series of SBA-15-supported Ni catalysts were prepared by incipient-wetness impregnation with different nickel nitrate solutions and applied in the CO methanation reaction for the production of synthetic natural gas (SNG). The catalysts were also characterized using XRD, N₂ physisorption measurements, H₂-TPR, CO chemisorption and TEM. The catalytic tests showed that the impregnation solvent influenced the catalytic performance in the CO methanation. The catalyst 20%Ni/SBA-15(ET) prepared from ethanol solution exhibited the highest activity with 100% CO conversion and 95% CH₄ yield at 350℃ under 0.3Mpa. The effect of solvents could be related to the polarities of solvents. The decreased polarity of the solvent caused an increase in the interaction between the nickel complex and silica surface, which would promote the fixation of the precursor onto the silica support and increase the nickel dispersion. As a result, the activity of the catalysts was improved effectively. The Ni based SBA-15 catalysts also had a good catalytic stability and prospective for the practical application.