Carbon dioxide reforming of methane over cobalt catalysts supported on hydrotalcite and metal oxides

Cobalt (Co) catalysts supported on hydrotalcite (MgAl) and metal oxides (MgO, Al2O3) have been synthesized by co-precipitation methods for CO2 reforming of methane. It is found that the Co/MgAl catalyst possessed excellent initial activity and outstanding long-term stability. An activation process was observed on the Co/MgO catalyst, which was followed by moderate deactivation. The Co/Al2O3 catalyst suffered severe deactivation although it exhibited relatively good initial activity. The structural characterizations demonstrate that the exceptional reforming performance of the Co/MgAl catalyst was related to high specific surface area, abundant medium basic sites, tiny Co nanoparticles and strong metal-support interactions.