ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Palladium-boosted Ni/CeO₂ catalysts for efficient ethanol dry reforming

Mostafa Rostamnejad Cherati, Reza Abedini, and Amir Mosayebi

EOR and Gas Processing Research Lab, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran

E-mail: mostafammsm@gmail.com

Received: 16 July 2025  Accepted: 7 November 2025

Abstract:

Ethanol dry reforming (EDR) offers a sustainable pathway for syngas production by utilizing renewable ethanol and CO₂. In this study, Ni/CeO₂ and Pd-promoted Ni/CeO₂ catalysts were synthesized via impregnation and comprehensively characterized by Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), H₂-temperature programmed reduction (TPR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), H₂-chemisorption, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Raman spectroscopy. The incorporation of 1 wt.% Pd markedly improved Ni dispersion, reducibility, and metal–support interaction. Rietveld refinement confirmed nanoscale Ni–Pd alloy formation with crystallite sizes of 10.8 nm (Ni/CeO₂) and 7.5 nm (Ni–Pd/CeO₂). H₂-TPR deconvolution revealed a 70 °C reduction shift due to hydrogen spillover from Pd, verifying strong Pd–Ni synergy. In EDR at 800 °C and a ratio of carbon dioxide to ethanol in the inlet feed (C/E) of 3, Ni–Pd/CeO₂ achieved superior ethanol and CO₂ conversions (87% and 60%) and higher H₂ yield (84%) compared to Ni/CeO₂. Extended stability testing up to 2000 min demonstrated significantly improved resistance to deactivation and coke formation for Ni–Pd/CeO₂. Post-reaction analyses (XRD, TGA, Raman) confirmed smaller Ni crystallites, reduced graphitic carbon, and enhanced structural stability. Overall, the results establish Pd as an effective promoter that enhances Ni dispersion and redox behavior, reduces carbon deposition, and prolongs catalyst lifetime, offering an efficient and durable catalytic system for low-cost syngas production from renewable ethanol.

Keywords: Dry reforming of ethanol; Stability; Conversion; Yield; Ni-Pd/CeO2; Coke

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04493-8

Chemical Papers 80 (2) 1841–1860 (2026)