Ceria-Zirconia supported Ni catalysts for partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas

► Highly active and coking resistant Ni/Ce(1−x)ZrxO2 (x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1) catalysts prepared by precipitation method. ► The catalyst performance increase with an increase in Zr loading. ► All catalysts have shown stable performances in the typical operation period of approximately 7h. ► Ni/Ce0.25Zr0.75O2 catalyst shows the better performance than the others. In this study, 5%Ni/Ce(1−x)ZrxO2 (x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1) catalysts were prepared by precipitation method and tested for methane partial oxidation. The structures of the catalysts were examined by N2 adsorption and X-ray diffraction. The catalytic activity and stability were also investigated. The incorporation of Zr into the CeO2 lattice was found to promote the redox properties. The methane oxidation activity of the mixed oxides was found to be dependent on the Ce:Zr ratio, which relates to the degree of reducibility. The catalytic activity increased with an increasing Zr content. 5%Ni/Ce0.25Zr0.75O2 was reported to exhibit the highest BET surface area, activity, stability, and H2 and CO selectivity for partial oxidation of methane. The catalytic activities and selectivities were also affected by CH4/O2 ratio in the feed stream.