Effect of Ruthenium and Cerium Oxide (IV) Promotors on the Removal of Carbon Deposit Formed during the Mixed Methane Reforming Process

This work investigates the effect of the addition of Ru and CeO2 on the process of gasification of carbon deposits formed on the surface of a nickel catalyst during the mixed methane reforming process. Activity studies of the mixed methane reforming process were carried out on (Ru)-Ni/CeO2-Al2O3 catalysts at the temperature of 650–750 °C. The ruthenium-promoted catalyst exhibited the highest activity. Carbonized post-reaction catalyst samples were tested with the TOC technique to investigate the carbonization state of the samples. The bimetallic catalyst had the lowest amount of carbon deposit (1.5%) after reaction at 750 °C. The reactivity of the carbon species was assessed in mixtures of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and water. Regardless of the gasifying agent used, the carbon deposit was removed from the surface of the catalytic system. The overall mechanism of mixed methane reforming over Ru and CeO2 was shown.