Steam reforming catalyst and method of making thereof

1. A method for the production of a supported nickel catalyst precursor with a sodium-β alumina phase and/or potassium-β alumina phase, said method comprising the steps of:

i. providing a mixture comprising:

i. a magnesium mineral or magnesium salt,

ii. optionally, a calcium mineral or calcium salt,

iii. an aluminium mineral or aluminium salt,

iv. an alkali metal salt comprising at least one of Na and K, and

v. optionally water;

ii. extruding said mixture to form an extrudate, said extrudate containing integrated reservoirs of said alkali metal salt, and calcining the extrudate at a temperature from 300-600° C.;

iii. sintering said calcined extrudate at a temperature in a range of 1100-14000° C. to form a support material;

iv. impregnating said support material with an aqueous solution comprising a nickel salt to provide the supported nickel catalyst precursor; and

v. optionally repeating step iv.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mixture in step i. additionally comprises a mineral acid.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the mineral acid is nitric acid.

4. The method according to claim 1 , additionally comprising the step of milling the calcined extrudate, mixing with a binder and tabletting said extrudate, between steps ii. and iii.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mixture in step i is in the form of an aqueous solution, an aqueous suspension, a gel or a paste.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step iv is repeated 2 or more times, using an aqueous solution of a nickel salt having a concentration of Ni of at least 15 wt % Ni.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the aqueous solution of a nickel salt has a concentration of Ni of at least 20 wt % Ni.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nickel salt is nickel nitrate, nickel citrate or nickel acetate.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said support material comprises 8 wt % or more potassium β-alumina.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said support material has a pore volume of at least 180 ml/kg.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said support material has a HBET surface area above 10 m 2 /g.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sintering is conducted at a temperature in a range of 1200-1400° C.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sintering is conducted at a temperature in the range of 1250-1350° C.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the support material has an XRD comprising distinct peaks at positions 7.83, 15.70, 5.50 and/or 11.10.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mixture in step i is in the form of a paste.

16. A method for the production of a supported nickel catalyst, said method comprising producing a supported nickel catalyst precursor via the method according to claim 1 , wherein, after each impregnation step iv, the supported nickel catalyst precursor is decomposed to form a supported nickel catalyst, at temperature in a range of 350-500° C.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the supported nickel catalyst is not promoted with one or more compounds selected from titanium, zirconium, yttrium, niobium, or elements of the lanthanum series comprising lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, ytterbium.