Plasma-Catalytic CO(2) Reforming of Toluene over Hydrotalcite-Derived NiFe/(Mg, Al)O(x) Catalysts

[Image: see text] The removal of tar and CO(2) in syngas from biomass gasification is crucial for the upgrading and utilization of syngas. CO(2) reforming of tar (CRT) is a potential solution which simultaneously converts the undesirable tar and CO(2) to syngas. In this study, a hybrid dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma-catalytic system was developed for the CO(2) reforming of toluene, a model tar compound, at a low temperature (∼200 °C) and ambient pressure. Periclase-phase (Mg, Al)O(x) nanosheet-supported NiFe alloy catalysts with various Ni/Fe ratios were synthesized from ultrathin Ni–Fe–Mg–Al hydrotalcite precursors and employed in the plasma-catalytic CRT reaction. The result demonstrated that the plasma-catalytic system is promising in promoting the low-temperature CRT reaction by generating synergy between DBD plasma and the catalyst. Among the various catalysts, Ni4Fe1-R exhibited superior activity and stability because of its highest specific surface area, which not only provided sufficient active sites for the adsorption of reactants and intermediates but also enhanced the electric field in the plasma. Furthermore, the stronger lattice distortion of Ni4Fe1-R provided more isolated O(2–) for CO(2) adsorption, and having the most intensive interaction between Ni and Fe in Ni4Fe1-R restrained the catalyst deactivation induced by the segregation of Fe from the alloy to form FeO(x). Finally, in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy combined with comprehensive catalyst characterization was used to elucidate the reaction mechanism of the plasma-catalytic CRT reaction and gain new insights into the plasma-catalyst interfacial effect.