LaNi x Fe 1– x O 3–δ as a Robust Redox Catalyst for CO 2 Splitting and Methane Partial Oxidation
The current study reports LaNi 0.5 Fe 0.5 O 3–δ as a robust redox catalyst for CO 2 splitting and methane partial oxidation at relatively low temperatures (~700 °C) in the context of a hybrid redox process. Specifically, perovskite-structured LaNi x Fe 1–x O 3–δ (LNFs) with nine different compositions (x = 0.05–0.5) were prepared and investigated. Among the samples evaluated, LaNi 0.4 Fe 0.6 O 3–δ and LaNi 0.5 Fe 0.5 O 3–δ showed superior redox performance, with ~90% CO 2 and methane conversions and >90% syngas selectivity. The standalone LNFs also demonstrated performance comparable to that of LNF promoted by mixed conductive Ce 0.85 Gd 0.1 Cu 0.05 O 2–δ (CGCO). Long-term testing of LaNi 0.5 Fe 0.5 O 3–δ indicated that the redox catalyst gradually loses its activity over repeated redox cycles, amounting to approximately 0.02% activity loss each cycle, averaged over 500 cycles. This gradual deactivation was found to be reversible by deep oxidation with air. Further characterizations indicated that the loss of activity resulted from a slow accumulation of iron carbide (Fe 3 C and Fe 5 C 2 ) phases, which cannot be effectively removed during the CO 2 splitting step. Reoxidation with air removed the carbide phases, increased the availability of Fe for the redox reactions via solid-state reactions with La 2 O 3 , and decreased the average crystallite size of La 2 O 3 . As a result, reactivating the redox catalyst periodically, e.g., once every 40 cycles, was shown to be highly effective, as confirmed by operating the redox catalyst over 900 cumulative cycles while maintaining satisfactory redox performance.