Thermally stable nickel-alumina catalysts useful for methanation

In a process for the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide and/or carbon dioxide to form methane wherein a feed gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide and/or carbon dioxide is contacted at a temperature between about 600.degree. and 1500.degree. F with a nickel catalyst to effect said hydrogenation, the improvement which comprises using as said catalyst an intimate composite of between about 30 and 95 percent alumina and about 5 and 70 percent nickel oxide by weight, said catalyst having been prepared by the steps of:

• 1. slurrying a powdered alumina hydrate in an aqueous solution of a nickel salt for a sufficient time to effect pore-saturation of said alumina hydrate with said solution, sufficient of said nickel salt being in the form of an ammino complex to provide at least 2 moles of ammino ligands per mole of said nickel salt;
• 2. heating the resulting slurry with agitation at a temperature and for a time sufficient to bring about a gradual decomposition of substantially all of said ammino complex with resultant liberation of ammonia and precipitation of substantially all of said nickel salt in the form of nickel hydroxide intimately composited with said powdered alumina hydrate;
• and
• 3. calcining the resulting composite at a temperature sufficiently high to convert said alumina hydrate to gamma alumina.