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

Abstract Cobalt (Co) catalysts supported on hydrotalcite (MgAl) and metal oxides (MgO, Al 2 O 3 ) have been synthesized by co-precipitation methods for CO 2 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/Al 2 O 3 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.