Sr Promoted Ni/W-Zr Catalysts for Highly Efficient CO2 Methanation: Unveiling the Role of Surface Basicity

Ahmed S Al-Fatesh; Marie-Nour Kaydouh; Hamid Ahmed; Ahmed A Ibrahim; Mohammed F Alotibi; Ahmed I Osman; Nissrine El Hassan

doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02304

Sr Promoted Ni/W-Zr Catalysts for Highly Efficient CO₂ Methanation: Unveiling the Role of Surface Basicity

Langmuir. 2023 Dec 12;39(49):17723-17732. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02304. Epub 2023 Nov 29.

Authors

Ahmed S Al-Fatesh¹, Marie-Nour Kaydouh², Hamid Ahmed¹, Ahmed A Ibrahim¹, Mohammed F Alotibi³, Ahmed I Osman⁴, Nissrine El Hassan²

Affiliations

¹ Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia.
² Petroleum Engineering Program, School of Engineering, Lebanese American University, P.O. Box 36, Byblos 1102-2801, Lebanon.
³ Institute of Refining and Petrochemicals Technologies, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AG Northern Ireland, U.K.

Abstract

This study explores the employment of CO₂ methanation for carbon dioxide utilization and global warming mitigation. For the first time, in this work, we combine the interesting properties of the WO₃-ZrO₂ support and the benefits of Sr to improve the performance of Ni-based catalysts in this reaction. Sr loading on 5Ni/W-Zr samples is increased to 3 wt %, resulting in improved surface basicity through strong basic site formation. After 300 min, the 5Ni + 3Sr/W-Zr catalyst exhibits high activity and stability, achieving 90% CO₂ conversion and 82% CH₄ yield compared to 62 and 57% on 5Ni/W-Zr. Limited sintering and absence of carbon deposits are confirmed by temperature-programmed oxidation, XRD, Raman, and TEM analyses at 350 °C for 300 min. Sr promotion creates additional CO₂ adsorption and conversion sites, enhancing the catalytic performance.