A series of Ni-Ce catalysts supported on illite clay containing different cerium loading were tested with respect to autothermal reforming of methane at 800 degrees C using a GHSV = 60,000 mL g(-1) h(-1). The addition of oxygen in the gaseous reactant feed, under the used experimental condition was found to play a key role since the carbon balance is significantly higher as compared to CH4/CO2 mixture. The addition of cerium was found to enhance the specific surface area as result of meso-porosity development. Furthermore, the nickel particles become smaller in the presence of Ce, decreasing the Ni degrees average size from 34.2 for 10Ni to 16.3 nm for 10Ni15Ce. The best catalytic activity and stability were obtained on the catalyst containing 15 wt.% of cerium, apparently attributed to its redox properties and further improvement on the nickel dispersion. It should be pointed out that the observed catalytic performance was high even after 24 h under reaction stream. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.