Effects of noble metal-doping on Ni/La2O3–ZrO2 catalysts for dry reforming of coke oven gas

A series of noble metal (Ru, Pd, Ag) doped Ni catalysts supported on La2O3–ZrO2 mixed oxide were prepared using the sol–gel method and evaluated for use in dry reforming of coke oven gas (COG). The catalysts were investigated by means of N2 adsorption–desorption, XRD, H2-TPR, TPH, TEM and TG–DSC. TPH analysis revealed that two carbonaceous species formed on the used catalysts and that the low-temperature carbon species was sufficiently active for the reforming reaction. TEM observations indicated that highly dispersed and small metal particles were formed, suppressing coke deposition and improving catalytic performance. The test results indicated that the addition of trace amounts of noble metals effectively promotes catalytic activity. The 0.1Ru–10Ni/8LZ catalyst showed the highest performance among the bimetallic catalysts, because of the strong synergetic effect between Ru and Ni via the formation of a Ru–Ni alloy, which will be promising catalysts in the catalytic dry reforming of COG.