Methane dry reforming in a coking- and sintering-free liquid alloy-salt catalytic system

Abstract

We present a liquid catalytic system comprising a liquid Ni–Bi alloy and a molten K₂CO₃ salt, which completely resolves the coking and sintering issues for dry reforming. The conversions of CH₄ and CO₂ reach 60% and 70%, respectively, in a 30 cm bubble column comprising 15 cm Ni_0.27Bi_0.73 and 15 cm K₂CO₃ at 1050 °C. The CO selectivity is near 100% throughout the temperature range of 950–1050 °C. A 120 hour stability test at 1000 °C shows no performance degradation, suggesting a stable and effective dry reforming process for syngas production. The catalytic performance and durability demonstrated highlight the potential of dry reforming for commercial applications.