Date palm leaves-derived activated carbon as a sustainable support for catalytic methane dry reforming

Abstract

The increasing global demand for energy and the necessity to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions have intensified research into alternative energy sources and environmentally benign chemical processes. One promising approach is the dry reforming of methane (DRM), which converts methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂)—both major greenhouse gases—into valuable syngas (a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide). However, the development of cost-effective and sustainable catalysts that can operate efficiently while utilizing biomass waste remains a significant challenge. This study investigates the development of cost-effective and durable nickel-based catalysts supported on activated carbon derived from date palm leaves biomass waste. The catalysts were synthesized via a wet impregnation method and characterized using various techniques including XRD, BET, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, H₂-TPR, CO₂-TPD, NH₃-TPD, TGA, Raman analysis and XPS. The catalytic performance of the synthesized catalysts for DRM was evaluated at a temperature of 750 °C for 12 h using fixed-bed reactor. Results demonstrate that the activated carbon support significantly influences the catalysts' activity and stability. In particular, Ni-doped modified activated carbon from date palm leaves exhibited superior performance, achieving high CH₄ (41 %) and CO₂ (75 %) conversion, compared to commercial activated carbon derived from coconut shell. The catalyst also showed good resistance to coking and sintering, making it a promising candidate for DRM. This study highlights the viability of using sustainable biomass sources for the development of effective DRM catalysts, contributing to waste management and environmental sustainability.