Effect of ceria on hydrogen production by auto-thermal reforming of propane over supported nickel catalysts.

Autothermal reforming of propane was studied with respect to the addition of ceria to the supported Ni catalysts. Ni/Al2O3 catalysts showed a higher activity than Ni/MgAl catalysts. It was related to the ease of the catalyst reduction. Ni/Ce/MgAl and Ni/Ce/Al2O3 catalysts showed higher propane conversions and higher hydrogen yields. These were related to the particle size and the reducibilities of the catalysts. XRD analysis showed that the added CeO2 decreased the particle sizes of the supported Ni, but increased the amount of NiO on the catalyst surface, thus it improved the resistance to coking.