Preparation of bimetallic Ni–Fe/MCM-41 catalysts and their catalytic activity for CO methanation

A series of Ni–Fe/MCM-41 bimetallic catalysts and also Ni/MCM-41 and Fe/MCM-41 catalysts were prepared by the incipient-wetness impregnation method and tested for their activity for CO methanation in a continuous-flow microreactor. The results showed that the catalytic activities of the Ni–Fe/MCM-41 bimetallic catalysts were much higher than those of the Ni/MCM-41 and Fe/MCM-41 catalysts at low temperatures (200°C–325°C). The 10%Ni–5%Fe/MCM-41 catalyst showed the best activity with a CO conversion of almost 100% and a CH4 selectivity of 98% at 350°C under a pressure of 1.5 MPa with a 3:1 molar ratio of H2 to CO and a weight hourly space velocity of 12,000 mL h−1 g−1. The catalysts were characterized by N2 physisorption measurements, X-ray diffraction, and H2-temperature-programmed reduction. The results showed that the addition of Fe will lead to the formation of finer Ni particles and Ni–Fe alloy, which were the main reasons for the activity increase in the Ni–Fe/MCM-41 catalysts.