Abstract: A novel mesoporous Ni/CaO-ZrO2 nanocomposite was prepared by a the sol-gel method. The nanocomposite was used for CO2 reforming of CH4, and it exhibited high catalytic activity, thermal stability, and resistance to coking. After running in the fixed-bed reactor for50 h, its catalytic activity hardly decreased, and only a small amount of carbon formed on the catalyst, meaning that the catalyst stability was better than Ni/Al2O3 or Ni/SiO2 catalyst. The nickel particles almost kept their original nanometer size during the reaction owing to that the size growth was inhibited by other components in the nanocomposite. In addition, CaO was favorable for the chemisorption of CO2 in the reaction and consequently improved the resistance to carbon deposition on the mesoporous Ni/CaO-ZrO2 nanocomposite.

Key words: nickel, calcium oxide, zirconia, nanocomposite, supported catalyst, methane, carbon dioxide, reforming