Accelerated syngas generation from chemical looping CH4 reforming by using reduced ilmenite ore as catalyst

Chemical looping reforming of CH4 (CH4-CLR) is an advanced technology for syngas generation, and ilmenite ore has been considered a promising oxygen carrier material due to its extremely low cost. However, the weak reactivity of ilmenite ore over CH4 prevents its practical application in CH4-CLR. This study has established a facile strategy to enhance the reactivity of CH4 toward ilmenite ore by simply introducing the same but reduced ilmenite ore as the catalyst for a pre-activation of CH4, so as to accelerate the reaction between the CH4 and ilmenite. Results show that the addition of reduced ilmenite ore as catalyst significantly accelerates the reaction between CH4 and ilmenite ore, which successfully reduces the induction period from 150 min to almost 0 min. A higher catalyst to oxygen carrier ratio, higher temperature and deeper reduction stage of the catalyst are all beneficial in accelerating the reaction between CH4 and ilmenite ore. [Display omitted] •A significantly accelerated syngas production for chemical looping CH4 reforming.•Ilmenite ore functions as both oxygen carrier and catalyst.•The catalyst of reduced ilmenite shortens the induction period from 150 min to 0.