A novel trimetal-oxides (Ru/Fe/Ce) supported on gamma-Al2O3 catalyst was synthesised by simple impreg-nation method and the activity was investigated at atmospheric pressure. The results showed that Ru/Fe/ Ce (5:10:85)/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst calcined at 1000 degrees C for 5 h was effective and gave a 97.20% of CO2 conversion at 275 degrees C with 93.5% of CH4 formation. The catalyst possesses medium-strength basic sites with the best reduction temperature of <200 degrees C. The mesoporous structure was covered with small, dispersed particles of spherical in shape. The catalyst is formed by nanoparticles below 10 nm with a surface area of 51 m(2)/g. The physicochemical analyses showed that the active sites of the potential catalyst Ru/Fe/Ce (5:10:85)/gamma-Al2O3 are RuO2 (tetragonal), Fe2O3 (rhombohedral), gamma-Al2O3 (cubic), and CeO2 (cubic), with a good distribution on the catalyst surface. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.