Syngas production via microwave-assisted Dry Reforming of Methane over NiFe/MgAl₂O₄ alloy catalyst

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) represents a promising avenue for generating syngas while simultaneously reducing CO₂ emissions. However, its industrial application has been constrained by the necessity for elevated temperatures to prevent coke. Microwave (MW)-assisted DRM emerges as a compelling solution to facilitate high-temperature reactions, capitalizing on surplus renewable electrons to heat the catalyst bed swiftly and selectively, thereby circumventing the inefficient heating of the entire reactor. In this study, DRM is conducted under MW irradiation using NiFe/MgAl₂O₄ alloy catalysts. The impacts of MW power and catalysts' temperature-response behavior are investigated as well as the active components (Ni and Fe), and space velocity on the DRM reaction are explored. We determined the optimal quantities of Fe and Ni necessary to achieve the desired balance between MW heating and driving the DRM reaction. Under specific conditions—Ni content at 25 wt%, Fe content at 40 wt%, MW power of 286 W g⁻¹, a temperature of 700 °C, flow rate of 450 mL min⁻¹ and a space velocity of 12857 mL·g⁻¹·hr⁻¹—conversion rates of 85 % for CH₄ and 62 % for CO₂ are achieved. NiFe/MgAl₂O₄ catalysts demonstrated high potential to be used in the MW-driven DRM as compared to conventional electric heating methods.