Tuning Lanthanum Promotion in Ni/CeO2 Catalysts for Hydrogen-Rich Syngas Production via Partial Oxidation of Methane
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
- 2Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University (KSU), P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
- 3Institute of Refining and Petrochemicals Technologies, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia
- 4United Chemical Reaction Engineering Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- 5Department of Chemistry, Patna University, Bihar 800005, India
Abstract
Partial oxidation of methane (POM) provides an efficient route to convert methane into hydrogen-rich syngas, with lower energy demands than conventional steam reforming. This work evaluates lanthanum promotion effects on the physicochemical properties and catalytic behaviour of Ni/CeO2 catalysts. A series of 5Ni + xLa/CeO2 catalysts with 0–2 wt.% La was synthesised by wetness impregnation and characterized using N2 adsorption–desorption, Raman spectroscopy, and cyclic H2-TPR–O2-TPO–H2-TPR analysis. The results proved that promoter La has a strong effect on the structure and surface chemistry of the Ni/CeO2 catalysts, as it modifies the CeO2 framework, encourages the formation of surface carbonate species, and changes Ni interaction with the support. These structural shifts are closely tied to the enhancement of the catalyst’s performance and stability during POM. Among the catalysts, 5Ni + 1.5La/CeO2 struck the best balance between textural properties and catalytic performance. At 600 °C and a GHSV of 14,400 mL h−1 gcat−1, the CH4 conversion reached about 57–59% and H2 yield reached 53–55% over 300 min on stream. It also led to more than 70% CH4 conversion and more than 65% H2 yield for 22 h at 600 °C and 7200 mL h−1 g_cat−1, showing sustainable hydrogen-rich syngas production during continuous operation. However, increasing the La loading to 2 wt.% strengthened the La–CeO2 interaction to the point of limiting the accessibility and dispersion of active sites, which lowered catalytic activity. Hence, these findings reveal that 1.5 wt.% La is the optimum loading, which balances support structure, metal–support interaction, surface chemistry, and active-site accessibility, and offers a practical strategy for producing more effective and stable Ni/CeO2 catalysts for hydrogen-rich syngas production via POM.
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BibTeX
@article{alonazi2026tuning,
title = {{Tuning Lanthanum Promotion in Ni/CeO2 Catalysts for Hydrogen-Rich Syngas Production via Partial Oxidation of Methane}},
author = {Wedad A. Al-onazi and Abdulaziz A. M. Abahussain and Tahani Saad Algarni and Mohammed F. Alotaibi and Mohammed O. Bayazed and Rehab M. Ali and Alaaddin M. M. Saeed and Khalid M. Alshamrani and Rawesh Kumar and Ahmed S. Al-Fatesh},
journal = {Catalysts},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/catal16110962},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/11/962},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Tuning Lanthanum Promotion in Ni/CeO2 Catalysts for Hydrogen-Rich Syngas Production via Partial Oxidation of Methane
AU - Wedad A. Al-onazi
AU - Abdulaziz A. M. Abahussain
AU - Tahani Saad Algarni
AU - Mohammed F. Alotaibi
AU - Mohammed O. Bayazed
AU - Rehab M. Ali
AU - Alaaddin M. M. Saeed
AU - Khalid M. Alshamrani
AU - Rawesh Kumar
AU - Ahmed S. Al-Fatesh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Catalysts
DO - 10.3390/catal16110962
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/11/962
AB - Partial oxidation of methane (POM) provides an efficient route to convert methane into hydrogen-rich syngas, with lower energy demands than conventional steam reforming. This work evaluates lanthanum promotion effects on the physicochemical properties and catalytic behaviour of Ni/CeO2 catalysts. A series of 5Ni + xLa/CeO2 catalysts with 0–2 wt.% La was synthesised by wetness impregnation and characterized using N2 adsorption–desorption, Raman spectroscopy, and cyclic H2-TPR–O2-TPO–H2-TPR analysis. The results proved that promoter La has a strong effect on the structure and surface chemistry of the Ni/CeO2 catalysts, as it modifies the CeO2 framework, encourages the formation of surface carbonate species, and changes Ni interaction with the support. These structural shifts are closely tied to the enhancement of the catalyst’s performance and stability during POM. Among the catalysts, 5Ni + 1.5La/CeO2 struck the best balance between textural properties and catalytic performance. At 600 °C and a GHSV of 14,400 mL h−1 gcat−1, the CH4 conversion reached about 57–59% and H2 yield reached 53–55% over 300 min on stream. It also led to more than 70% CH4 conversion and more than 65% H2 yield for 22 h at 600 °C and 7200 mL h−1 g_cat−1, showing sustainable hydrogen-rich syngas production during continuous operation. However, increasing the La loading to 2 wt.% strengthened the La–CeO2 interaction to the point of limiting the accessibility and dispersion of active sites, which lowered catalytic activity. Hence, these findings reveal that 1.5 wt.% La is the optimum loading, which balances support structure, metal–support interaction, surface chemistry, and active-site accessibility, and offers a practical strategy for producing more effective and stable Ni/CeO2 catalysts for hydrogen-rich syngas production via POM.
SN - 2073-4344
ER -