Catalytic performance of Fe-Ni/ATP bifunctional catalyst for natural gas making by one-step lignite char gasification

The performance of Fe-Ni/ATP for catalytic lignite char gasification was investigated by one-step method in a small fixed-bed reactor. The catalyst Fe4Ni2/ATP4 shows an excellent catalysis for coal gasification and methanation at 650℃ and 2MPa with the methane selectivity of 24.75%, increasing by 58.76% compared to Fe4/ATP6. After five cycles, the catalyst still has a high stability with stable carbon conversion and space-time yield (STY) of CH₄ production rate. The CaO that exists in the attapulgite carrier could enhance the gasification reaction. The Fe can react with water vapor to produce hydrogen significantly, which can promote coal char hydrogenation and CO methanation. When the active component Ni is introduced into the system, the reduction temperature of catalyst is reduced due to the formation of iron-nickel alloy, and the methanation activity of the prepared catalyst is increased further.