Dendritic Mesoporous Ni/KCC-1 for Partial Oxidation of Methane to Syngas

Depletion of fossil fuel for global energy system and increasing concern on global warming have driven the exploration of alternative and sustainable energy source in realms of academia and industry. This study aims to investigate the physicochemical features of KAUST Catalysis Center-1 supported catalyst (i.e., Ni/KCC-1) and evaluate its catalytic performance for Partial Oxidation of Methane (POM) reaction. N₂ physisorption and XRD analyses confirmed the structural integrity of KCC-1 framework after NiO addition while the growth of Si–O–Ni bonds in KCC-1 structure was corroborated by the FTIR results. The FESEM and TEM images for KCC-1 not only affirm the successful formation of bicontinuous lamellar morphology but also reveal that the three-dimensional spherical structure was originally developed from the centre of microsphere into all axial. The combustion-reforming pathway was determined during reaction run and the H₂/CO ratio ranging of 1.48 to 2.14 was appropriate for synthetic fuel production via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS).