H-2 and CO2 pretreatment over the Ni-Co/La2O3-Al2O3 catalyst has been shown to lead to significant increase in catalytic performance. A mechanistic study was investigated by a series of catalytic activity measurements. Ni was found to be the main metal that interacted with CO2. Meanwhile, H-2 reduction is an indispensable step of the pretreatment route and CO2 cannot be replaced by O-2. FT-IR spectroscopy investigations were used to confirm that carboxyl was created during the CO2 pretreatment of the Ni-Al2O3 catalyst. The result proved that bicarbonate of Ni was formed during the CO2 pretreatment. During CO2-reforming of methane, the bicarbonate of Ni could decompose into CO and provide oxygen species. The oxygen species will react with accumulated carbon on Ni crystallites to produce CO and in turn protect the active sites. Thus, the performance of the catalyst was significantly improved. Copyright (C) 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.