Proposta di ricerca:
Methane is the main component of natural gas (NG), landfill gas and a by-product from oil
refining and chemical processing. It has an enormous potential value as a source of clean fossil
energy or as a raw material provided it can be brought to the point of use economically. NG
reservoirs are large and widespread throughout the world and it was estimated that at the end
of 2006 the value will be approximately 6300 trillion cubic feet. But the technology for the
conversion of the reserves into value added products remains as yet elusive due to the
extremely high stability of the C-H bonds in the CH4 molecule. The catalytic partial oxidation of
methane (CPO) is an attractive route for the production of synthesis gas compared to the
conventional steam methane reforming process (SMR). It gives a favorable H2/CO (about 2)
ratio of the produced synthesis gas, which is appropriate for processes such as methanol or
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. In addition, CPO can be operated in a millisecond contact-time
reactor, being able to provide a compact hydrogen processor for its use in fuel cell electric
vehicles [1-4]. The project involves the use of different strategies for the synthesis of novel Ni
nanoparticles supported on different nanocrystalline/nanoporous metal oxides like CeO2, ZrO2,
Al2O3, etc. , their detailed characterization using different analytical techniques followed by
their evaluation as catalysts for partial oxidation of methane to syngas.
References:
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1. L.D. Vella, J.A. Villoria, S. Specchia, N.Mota, J.L.G. Fierro, V. Specchia; Catalysis
Today, 171 (2011) 84.
2. S. Kado, K. Imagawa, A. Kiryu, F. Yagi, T. Minami, H. Kawai, K. Kawazuishi, K.
Tomishige, A. Nakamura, Y. Suehiro; Catalysis Today, 171 (2011) 97.
3. T. Sasaki, K. Nakao, K. Tomishige, K. Kunimori, Chem. Commun., (2006) 3821.
4. T.V. Choudhary, V.R. Choudhary, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 47 (2008) 1828.
Obiettivi:
Preparation of novel highly dispersed mono and bimetallic Ni based noble nanoparticles
supported on nanoporous/nanocrystalline metal oxides as catalysts for the partial oxidation of
methane to produce syngas.
The catalysts will be prepared by sol-gel sinteses and by co-precipitation followed by
impregnation. One novel approach for preparing new catalysts, would be to synthesize the Ninanoparticles supported on different supports by hydrothermal synthesis method in presence
of surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. These materials will then be characterized by
XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, TPR, surface area and porosity measurement to ensure the formation of
Ni nanoparticles supported on nanocrystalline metal oxides. These materials will be evaluated
as catalysts for the partial oxidation of methane to produce syngas.
Another approach would be to synthesize the nanocrystalline support metal oxides followed by
the incorporation of Ni-nanoparticles by bi-solvents method using two different solvents such
as n-hexane and water.
Alkali metal and rare earth metal oxides (like Nd, gd, Dy etc.) will be used as promoters to
enhance the carbon deposition resistance as it is reported that catalyst stability is a major
concern for Ni-containing CH4 reforming catalyst.
Pianificazione del lavoro
Piano di lavoro primo anno:
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Latest literature survey
Synthesis of Ni-nanoparticles supported on different nanocrystalline/nanoporous metal
oxides like Al2O3, CeO2, ZrO2 or mixtures of oxides etc. by sol-gel method and by
coprecipitation followed by impregnation with metals. Characterization of the materials
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by XRD, XPS, Bet surface area, porosity measurement, TPR, SEM, TEM, ICP-AES
measurements.
Evaluation of the catalytic activity for partial oxidation of methane to produce syngas.
Catalytic tests for the partial oxidation of methane; choise of the operating conditions
Piano di lavoro secondo anno:
Synthesis of Ni-nanoparticles supported on different nanocrystalline/nanoporous metal
oxides like Al2O3, CeO2, ZrO2 or mixtures of oxides et by hydrothermal thermal syntheses and
by bisolvents methods.
Characterization of the materials by XRD, XPS, Bet surface area, porosity measurement,
TPR, SEM, TEM, ICP-AES measurements.
Evaluation of the catalytic activity for partial oxidation of methane to produce syngas.
Piano di lavoro terzo anno:
Comparison between the performance of the differently prepared catalysts.
Choise of the best ones to investigate the stability under different reaction conditions
Development of catalyst regeneration procedures
Summarising the results in a fair number of papers for publication in peer-reviewed scientific
journals.