Structured Silicalite-1 Encapsulated Ni Catalyst Supported on SiC Foam for Dry Reforming of Methane

Structured silicalite-1 zeolite encapsulated Ni catalyst supported on silicon carbide foam (i.e., Ni@S1-SiC) was prepared using a new yet simple one-pot method, showing the significantly improved anti-sintering and anti-coking performance in comparison with the conventional supported and encapsulated Ni catalysts (i.e., Ni/S1, Ni/S1-SiC, and Ni@S1), in catalytic dry reforming of methane (DRM). The developed Ni0.08@S1-SiC catalyst showed high CO2/CH4 conversions of >85% and H2/CO molar ratio of >0.85 at 700 °C, outperforming other control catalysts under investigation. Additionally, the Ni0.08@S1-SiC catalyst demonstrated high turnover frequency (TOF) values of ~5.4 and ~2.1 s−1 regarding to CO2/CH4 conversions at 400 °C, exhibiting excellent stability and low pressure-drop during 100 h on stream evaluation. Post-reaction characterisation of the used catalysts demonstrated that the combination of zeolite encapsulated Ni catalysts and SiC foam enabled well-dispersed and ultrafine Ni nanoparticles, low pressure drop and intensified transfer steps, presented excellent anti-sintering and anti-coking abilities.