Biomorphic silicon carbide (bioSiC) pellets prepared from carbonized millet were employed as nickel catalyst support for the partial oxidation of methane to syngas in a fixed-bed quartz reactor at 800 degrees C. To reduce the loss of nickel active component during the reaction, alumina was used to modify the bioSiC surface. The temperature programmed reduction reveals that the alumina modification can evidently increase the reduction temperature of nickel oxide and therefore enhance the interaction between nickel and support. Due to the enhanced interaction, the nickel component becomes stable and difficult to migrate on the support surface. As a result, the modified bioSiC catalyst shows higher catalytic activity and stability than the unmodified. Compared with the catalyst supported on powdered SiC, the pelletized catalyst shows higher activity, especially at high gas hourly space velocity. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.