Sorption enhanced steam methane reforming by Ni-CaO materials supported on mayenite

Sorption enhanced steam methane reforming (SESMR), i.e. SMR with in situ CO2-sorption, can lead to a sustainable and economical exploiting of natural gas for hydrogen production, with high purity and simultaneous sequestration of greenhouse gases. CaO-mayenite CO2-sorbents, Ni-mayenite SMR catalysts and Ni-CaO-mayenite combined sorbent catalyst materials (CSCM) for SESMR were synthesized by wet mixing and wet impregnation methods, and characterized by means of XRD, BET/BJH, SEM/EDS, and TPR. For CSCM, an influence of CaO load on textural and Ni reducibility properties was recorded. Materials sorption capacity was measured in multicycles sorption/regeneration TGA tests: it always underwent a stabilization with cycle number increase. Reforming tests in micro-reactor scale were performed on 3 wt% to 10 wt% Ni-mayenite and selected CSCM: all Ni-mayenite always shown good performances, while for CSCM a detrimental role of CaO load on Ni catalytic activity was evidenced.