Ni nanoparticles dispersed over mesoporous SiO2 for catalytic CO2 methanation
Nasir Shezad, Avik De, Ajaikumar Samikannu, Jyri-Pekka Mikkola, Farid Akhtar
Abstract. Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies are crucial for mitigating the environmental impacts of rising greenhouse gas levels. Among the available utilization technologies, CO2 methanation stands out for its remarkable ability to not only reduce CO2 concentrations but also contribute to energy systems. The methanation reaction is generally carried out using Ni-based catalysts under elevated conditions. The efficiency of Ni-based catalysts relies on the size, distribution, and interaction of the nanoparticles with the metal support, as well as their resistance to deactivation caused by coking and sintering issues. The mentioned characteristics can be tailored by modifying the structural properties of the support material. In this work, we synthesized a Ni-deposited over mesoporous SiO2 catalyst using a simple reflux method and evaluated its performance in converting CO2 into methane (CH4). The properties of the catalysts were evaluated using characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The CO2 methanation performance of the catalysts was evaluated at different temperatures under 1 bar and gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 60,000 mL gcat-1 h-1. The catalyst demonstrated highest conversion of 60% at 600 oC and highest CH4 selectivity of 78% at 350 oC. The performance of the Ni/SiO2 catalyst can be attributed to its high surface area, and uniform distribution of Ni. This study highlights the potential of mesoporous SiO2 support for Ni-based catalysts for CO2 methanation and other heterogeneous reactions.
Keywords
Published online 6/20/2026, 6 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Nasir Shezad, Avik De, Ajaikumar Samikannu, Jyri-Pekka Mikkola, Farid Akhtar, Ni nanoparticles dispersed over mesoporous SiO2 for catalytic CO2 methanation, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 251-256, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-35
The article was published as article 35 of the book Climate Action and Sustainability
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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