What does this research mean for the field?

Manganese promotion of high-loading Ni/ZrO2 catalysts enables highly efficient and stable low-temperature CO2 methanation by improving nickel dispersion, increasing oxygen vacancies, and stabilizing the formate intermediate. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to develop a high-performance, non-precious-metal catalyst for CO2 methanation that operates effectively at low temperatures.

May 31, 2026

MnO x -Promoted Ni/ZrO 2 Catalyst with High Nickel Loading for Enhanced Low-Temperature CO 2 Methanation

Key Points

This research aims to develop a high-performance, non-precious-metal catalyst for CO2 methanation that operates effectively at low temperatures.
Mn-promoted Ni/ZrO2 catalysts with 40 wt % Ni were prepared using a Pechini method.
Comprehensive characterization techniques such as XRD, TEM, and XPS were utilized.
In situ DRIFTS was used to identify the reaction pathway of CO2 methanation.
The optimized 5Mn–Ni/ZrO2 catalyst achieved stable 70% CO2 conversion at 225 °C for 117 h.
Near-100% CH4 selectivity noted at high Ni loading.
Stable CH4 yield of 150 mmol/g/h demonstrated over extended operation.

Abstract

Developing high-performance, non-precious-metal catalysts that operate efficiently at low temperatures remains a pivotal challenge for CO2 methanation, particularly for systems with high active metal loadings where nanoparticle sintering often compromises performance. Herein, Mn-promoted Ni/ZrO2 catalysts with 40 wt % Ni were prepared via a Pechini method, demonstrating exceptional low-temperature performance. Under atmospheric pressure, the optimized 5Mn–Ni/ZrO2 catalyst achieved stable 70% CO2 conversion, near-100% CH4 selectivity, and a stable CH4 yield of 150 mmol/g/h for 117 h at 225 °C. Comprehensive characterization (XRD, TEM, XPS, H2-TPR, CO2-TPD, H2-TPD) revealed that Mn doping facilitates NiO reduction with higher Ni dispersion, increases electron density on Ni sites, and increases the population of medium-strength basic sites and oxygen vacancies on the ZrO2 support. These synergistic modifications collectively promote CO2 adsorption, H2 adsorption, and catalyst reducibility. In situ DRIFTS further identified a formate-mediated pathway, in which Mn promotes the stabilization and subsequent hydrogenation of the HCOO* intermediate. This work demonstrates that rational exploitation of promoter-support synergy can overcome the dispersion limitations inherent to high-loading Ni catalysts, providing an effective design strategy for advanced, low-temperature CO2 methanation catalysts.

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