CO and CO2 methanation over Ni catalysts supported on CeO2, Al2O3 and Y2O3 oxides

•CO and CO2 methanation was studied over Ni/CeO2, Ni/Al2O3, and Ni/Y2O3 catalysts.•High activity of the Ni/Y2O3 catalysts due to moderate Ni-support interactions.•Structure-sensitive CO2 methanation reaction over Ni/Y2O3 catalysts.•Best correlation between TOF of CO2 conversion and moderate-strength basicity.•Good anti-coking and anti-sintering ability after 200 h of lifetime test over 25Ni/Y2O3.