CO2 methanation on Ni/YMn1-xAlxO3 perovskite catalysts

•A series of Ni/YMn1-xAlxO3 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1) perovskites are studied for CO2 methanation.•The Al-content affected the structural and redox properties of the systems.•The catalysts’ behavior depends on the Ni dispersion and redox abilities.•Ni/YMn0.5Al0.5O3 catalyst achieved conversion rates of 0.748 mmolCO2.s–1 gNi–1 at 400 °C. Seeking for advanced catalytic systems for the CO2 methanation reaction, the use of Ni supported catalysts over redox materials is often proposed. Profiting the superior redox properties described for layered perovskite systems, this work has investigated a series Ni supported YMn1-xAlxO3 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1) perovskite catalysts. The obtained results evidenced the impact of the support nature on the systems redox properties and Ni-support interactions. Within the catalysts series, the greater methanation rates displayed by Ni/YMn0.5Al0.5O3 catalyst (0.748 mmolCO2,conv.s–1 gNi–1 at 400 °C and 60 L/gh) were associated to the interplay between the support redox properties and superior Ni dispersion. The improved redox behavior attained through the Al-incorporation (up to x = 0.5) was associated to the layered perovskite structures which, being distorted and constituted by smaller crystal sizes, facilitated the behavior of Mn redox couples as surface species readily interconverted. Exhibiting catalytic performances comparable to precious metals based catalysts, this work proposes the Ni/YMn0.5Al0.5O3 catalyst as an effective system for the CO2 methanation reaction. [Display omitted]