No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Keywords dry reforming of methane, silica supported nickel catalyst, nickel-indium bimetallic catalyst, coke formation, biogas conversion Highlights· Ni-In/SiO 2 catalysts were prepared by deposition-precipitation with urea. · Both metals were in metallic state after reduction at 700 °C. · Interaction of the two metals was evidenced by TPR, XPS. · The presence of indium in the close vicinity of nickel prevents coke formation. Graphical abstract AbstractThe development of a carbon tolerant nickel catalyst for carbon dioxide reforming of methane (dry reforming of methane, DRM) has been in the focus of catalysis research for several years.In the present study, 3wt%Ni/SiO 2 and bimetallic 3wt%Ni-2wt%In/SiO 2 catalysts (corresponding to 3:1 Ni:In ratio) were prepared by deposition precipitation with urea. Our intention was to modify the nickel surface with a second metal which is known from its ability to reduce surface coke formation. A methane rich reaction mixture (CH 4 :CO 2 :Ar = 2 69:30:1) was used for the catalytic tests at 600 °C and 675 °C. TPO measurements after the catalytic tests showed that there was no surface carbon formation on the indium containing catalyst.Temperature-programmed reduction measurements of the catalysts showed that both nickel and indium was completely reduced after one hour reduction at 700 °C suggesting interaction of the two metals. CO pulse chemisorption experiments revealed that the particle size was similar on the monometallic and bimetallic catalyst, and CO-TPD measurements showed completely different desorption behavior of CO, suggesting the presence of different active sites on the two catalysts. XPS experiments gave similar results, furthermore it was found that after reduction, the Ni/In ratio on the surface was 2.2 compared to the initial value (~3), which refers to the surface enrichment of indium in the bimetallic particles.The lack of coke formation on the indium containing catalyst might be explained by the interplay between a geometric and a chemical effect, that is, indium atoms are most likely situated on the edge and step sites of a nickel particle, influencing reactant adsorption and hindering the growth of carbon nanostructures and/or providing an oxygen rich indium suboxide surface through the reaction with CO 2 in the close vicinity of catalytically active nickel sites, which also inhibits the accumulation of carbon deposits during DRM.