火炎を用いて高性能CO2メタネーション用触媒のワンステップ合成を実現 ー大規模CO2メタネーションの社会実装に向けてー

2026-07-31 東京科学大学

図1. 従来法と火炎補助式噴霧熱分解法（FASP）の比較

＜関連情報＞

• https://www.isct.ac.jp/ja/news/jh1qiyq5zt1q
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016236126023185

火炎補助噴霧熱分解法によるCO₂メタン化用微細構造Ni/CeO₂触媒の一段階合成 One-step synthesis of Ni/CeO2 catalyst with fine structure for CO2 methanation by flame-assisted spray pyrolysis

Kosei Okada, Tsuyoshi Nagasawa, Hiroki Yamada, Toshiaki Ina, Maki Nakamura
Fuel  Available online: 8 July 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2026.140563

Highlights

• Ni/CeO₂ catalysts are made by flame-assisted spray pyrolysis (FASP) in one-step.
• FASP-made catalyst is primarily composed of fine particles measuring 10–20 nm.
• FASP improves specific surface area and Ni dispersion than impregnation method.
• Small NiO clusters in FASP-catalysts provide abundant Ni-CeO₂ interfacial sites.
• FASP-made catalyst shows superior CO₂ methanation activity at 300–400℃.

Abstract

CO₂ methanation is attracting attention as a synthetic fuel manufacturing process using hydrogen from renewable energy. The large-scale implementation of methanation in society requires the development of high-performance, stable catalysts and the establishment of methods for their mass production. In this study, Ni/CeO₂ catalyst is prepared using flame-assisted spray pyrolysis (FASP), which is a one-step and rapid process for producing fine particles, and the detailed particle structure and CO₂ methanation performance are evaluated. The results are also compared with those of catalysts prepared by the conventional impregnation method (IM). The FASP catalyst consists mainly of particles ranging from 10–20 nm in size, with some particles reaching several hundred nanometers, while IM catalyst consists of micrometer-sized CeO₂ particles with approximately 30 nm-Ni particles on the surface. The FASP catalyst also shows higher specific surface area and Ni dispersion than the IM catalyst. Furthermore, XAFS, XPS, and H₂-TPR analyses suggests that FASP promotes the formation of oxygen vacancies, Ni-O-Ce interfacial sites, and reduced Ni species. In CO₂ methanation tests, the FASP catalyst exhibits higher CO₂ conversion and CH₄ selectivity than the IM catalyst, achieving a CH₄ production rate of 81.3 µmol/(g_cat·s) at 300 °C, which is high-level among the literature values. These suggest that the fine particle structure, abundant oxygen vacancies and reduced Ni species, and increased Ni-CeO₂ interfaces formed by FASP contribute to the enhanced catalytic activity. This study demonstrates that FASP is a promising method for the simple production of highly active CO₂ methanation catalysts with fine structure.