Development and evaluation of heterogeneous catalysts for the reforming of methane-rich gases to synthesis gas

This thesis explores biogas valorization into syngas via methane reforming using 2.5 wt.% Ni on MgO-Al₂O₃ catalysts, aiming greener downstream applications. Catalyst deactivation via coking, poisoning, and re-oxidation were the main challenges. Therefore, various formulations were designed to optimize key features of the catalysts. A novel MgO-Al₂O₃ support (WI.800) was developed, which led to materials with higher activity and coke resistance vs. commercial counterparts. Thus, NiLaGa/WI.800 outstood in methane reforming and impurity tolerance, displaying real-world application potential.