Role of support bio-templating in Ni/Al(2)O(3) catalysts for hydrogen production via dry reforming of methane

Bio-templating, a synthetic approach inspired by nature, is an emerging area in material engineering. In this study, waste leaves of Sycamore were utilized as a bio-template for producing alumina support to prepare catalyst. The performance of Ni and Ce impregnated on bio-templated alumina support was investigated in dry reforming of methane for the first time. The effect of process and catalytic variables were examined in detail. The results showed that impregnation of 20% Ni and 3% Ce on the bio-templated alumina led to improved Ni dispersion and achieving the maximum CH(4) conversion of 88.7%, CO(2) conversion of 78.5%, and H(2) yield of 85.3%, compared to 84.4%, 75.6% and 83.4% for the non-templated catalyst at 700 °C, respectively. Detailed characterization of the catalysts revealed that the enhanced performance in the bio-templated catalyst could be attributed to smaller Ni particles, superior dispersion of Ni on the support, the mesoporous structure of alumina, and the larger surface area of support. Furthermore, analysis of the used catalyst showed reduced coke formation on the catalyst surface and high stability of bio-templated catalysts, highlighting the main advantage of bio-templated catalysts over non-templated ones. The findings presented in this study contribute to the potential future applications of bio-templating materials and shed light on the rational design of bio-templating materials.