Selective CO methanation over NiO–Al2O3–ZrO2 and Co3O4–Al2O3–ZrO2 catalysts

NiO–Al2O3–ZrO2 and Co3O4–Al2O3–ZrO2 catalysts were prepared by three different co-precipitation methods, namely co-precipitation, surfactant-assisted co-precipitation, and surfactant-assisted co-precipitation with ultrasound mixing methods, and their activities were tested in selective CO methanation. Catalysts were characterized using N2 physisorption, XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, and TPR-H2 techniques. CO methanation and selective CO methanation reactions were carried out. Catalysts prepared by surfactant assisted co-precipitation gave high surface area, uniform pore size distributions, and small pores.