In our continuing effort to find the proper catalyst for CO2 reforming of methane, Ni(8%)/ZSM-5-ZrO2 with various zirconium loadings (0e15%) are synthesized via sonochemical method. All samples are characterized by XRD, FESEM, TEM, EDX, BET, FTIR and TPR-H2 techniques. The XRD results confirm existence of NiO, ZrO2 and ZSM-5 as crystalline phase in catalyst structure. FESEM images reveal small particle size of active metals and low numbers of agglomerations for Ni(8%)/ZrO2(5%)-ZSM-5. BET analysis shows that addition of ZrO2 to Ni/ZSM-5 decreases the surface area but Ni/ZrO2(5%)-ZSM-5 has the highest surface area. TEM analysis demonstrates high dispersion of Ni nano particles over the support. EDX depicts the best active metal dispersion for the catalyst with 5% zirconia loading. The TPR results prove that the metal-support interaction is enhanced by zirconia addition, indicating the better Ni dispersion. Apart from characterization, activity tests are performed and parameters such as effect of temperature, CO and H2 yields and H2/CO ratio are investigated. The results show that Ni(8%)/ZrO2(5%)-ZSM-5 has the best structural properties and the highest activity and stability in comparison with the other catalysts.
