Impulsionados pela busca de fontes limpas de energia, surgem os processos de combustao com recirculacao quimica (CLC), e reforma com recirculacao quimica (CLR). CLC e CLR sao processos quimicos para oxidacao de hidrocarbonetos gasosos. E utilizada a acao de transportadores de oxigenio (TO), para transferir oxigenio do ar para o combustivel (neste caso o metano), evitando-se o contato direto entre ar atmosferico e metano por diversos motivos. Os TOs, compostos por oxidos metalicos na forma de po fino, circulam continuamente entre dois reatores de leito fluidizado (reator de ar e de combustivel), sofrendo sucessivos ciclos de reducao e oxidacao. Os processos se diferenciam com relacao aos produtos, em CLC objetiva-se a geracao de energia, atraves da oxidacao completa do combustivel, resultando em uma mistura de CO₂ e H₂O, podendo ser facilmente separada por condensacao. No caso do CLR a oxidacao ocorre de maneira parcial, dando origem a uma mistura de gas de sintese (H₂ + CO). O CLC apresenta vantagens com relacao aos processos tradicionais de captura de CO₂, pois nao se faz necessaria a utilizacao de processos secundarios para separacao gasosa, economizando assim energia, alem do fato de nao gerar gases do tipo NO_x. O presente trabalho apresenta a preparacao de duas series de materiais, via impregnacao seca, uma com composicao 2, 4 e 8% m/m de oxido de niquel e outra com os mesmo teores de oxido de niobio, suportados sobre alumina comercial de alta area superficial especifica. Os materiais foram caracterizados pelas tecnicas de picnometria a helio, volumetria de nitrogenio, porosimetria por intrusao de mercurio, DRX, MEV, TPR 5%H₂/N2 analisado com TCD em ChemBet, TPR 5%CH4/Ar e TPO 5%O₂/Ar sendo a variacao de massa analisada em termobalanca (TGA/DSC), alem de se utilizar de espectrometria de massas para analise dos gases gerados. Os diferentes transportadores de oxigenio foram testados em reator de leito fixo, sendo avaliados em diferentes condicoes experimentais tais como: temperaturas de operacao, vazoes de reagentes gasosos, concentracoes de metano, adicao de CO₂ e H₂O ao combustivel. Os produtos da reacao no reator de leito fixo foram analisados por cromatografia gasosa e espectrometria de massa. Os resultados mostraram que; o deposito de carbono sobre o catalisador pode ser drasticamente reduzido com a adicao de mistura oxidante junto ao combustivel e que estes oxidos estudados tem potencial aplicacao industrial, mostrando-se seletivos para reforma do metano com consecutiva producao de gas de sintese.

Driven by the demand for clean energy sources, arise chemical-looping combustion - CLC, and chemical-looping reforming - CLR. CLC and CLR are chemical processes for oxidation of gaseous hydrocarbons. Both of them use the action of catalysts, here called oxygen carriers (OC), which transfers oxygen from the air to the fuel (in this case methane), avoiding the direct contact between the two gases for various reasons. The OC's are composed of metal oxides in the form of fine power, circle continuously between two fluidized bed reactors (fuel reactor and air reactor), suffering successive cycles of reduction and oxidation. The two processes differ in relation to the products; the aim of CLC is generation of energy (heat), through the complete oxidation of the fuel, resulting in a mixture of CO₂ and H₂O, which can be easily separated by condensation. In the case of CLR, the oxidation occurs partially, resulting in synthesis gas, a mixture of H₂ and CO. The CLC processes shows advantages when compared to other traditional processes for capture of CO₂, because it is not necessary to use secondary processes for gas separation, saving energy, besides the fact of no NO_x is generated. This work describes the preparation of two series of materials via dry impregnation, which are composed of 2, 4 and 8% w/w niobium oxide or nickel oxide, supported on commercial alumina, with high specific surface area. The materials were characterized by the techniques of helium pycnometry, nitrogen volumetry, mercury intrusion porosimetry, DRX, MEV, TPR 5% H₂/N2 analyzed with TCD in ChemBet, TPR 5% CH4/Ar and TPO 5% O₂/Ar, being the changes in mass and heat analyzed in a thermogravimetric balance (TGA/DSC) coupled to a mass spectrometer permitting the analysis of the generated gases. The different oxygen carriers were tested in a fixed bed reactor, evaluated in different experimental conditions, such as operation temperature, flow rate of gaseous reactants, methane concentrations, addition of CO₂ and H₂O to the fuel. The products of the reaction in the fixed bed reactor were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The results show that: the carbon deposits over the catalysts can be drastically reduced by addition of oxidizing mixture together to the fuel and these studied oxides have a potential industrial application, showing selectivity to reforming of methane with consecutive synthesis gas production.