Patent ID: 8883118

Claim:
A process for producing a porous catalyst body for decomposing hydrocarbons which porous catalyst body comprises at least magnesium, aluminum and nickel in such a manner that the magnesium and aluminum are present in the form of a composite oxide of magnesium and aluminum, and the nickel is present in the form of metallic nickel; and which porous catalyst body has a magnesium element content of 10 to 50% by weight, an aluminum element content of 5 to 35% by weight and a nickel element content of 0.1 to 30% by weight, a pore volume of 0.01 to 0.5 cm 3 /g, an average pore diameter of not more than 300 Å and an average crushing strength of not less than 3 kgf, the process comprising the steps of: mixing a hydrotalcite comprising at least magnesium, aluminum and nickel, a molding assistant, a binder and a dispersing medium to form a mixture, kneading the mixture to form a clay-like mass, molding the clay-like mass to form a molded product, calcining the molded product at a temperature of 700 to 1500° C., and subjecting the calcined hydrotalcite molded product to a reduction treatment at a temperature of 700 to 1000° C.