Deactivation and regeneration of the commercial Cu/ZnO/Al_(2)O_(3) catalyst in low-temperature methanol steam reforming

Cu-based catalysts with excellent activity at low temperatures are widely used for methanol steam reforming(MSR)but suffer from deactivation problems.The present work aims to elucidate the deactivation and regeneration mechanisms of the commercial Cu/ZnO/Al_(2)O_(3) catalyst in low temperature MSR.By employing a series of(quasi)in situ characterization methods,it is found that the deactivation of the catalyst at a high weight hourly space velocity(WHSV)and a low reaction temperature is mainly due to the poisoning of Cu species associated with surface-oxygenated species with less Cu sintering,rather than carbon deposition,and strong metal-support interaction(SMSI).An in situ regeneration method was developed for the deactivated commercial Cu/ZnO/Al_(2)O_(3) catalyst via the simultaneous supply of O_(2).It is shown that the addition of O_(2)(≥1 vol%)can reverse the deactivation caused by surface-oxygenated poisoning due to the weak interaction between formed surface copper oxide and surface-oxygenated species,facilitating their desorption,but not deactivation caused by sintering,thereby partially restoring the catalytic activity.

Methanol steam reforming for hydrogen production driven by an atomically precise Cu catalyst

Plasmon-induced hot-electron transfer from metal nanostructures is being intensely pursed in current photocatalytic research,however it remains elusive whether molecular-like metal clusters with excitonic behavior can be used as light-harvesting materials in solar energy utilization such as photocatalytic methanol steam reforming.In this work,we report an atomically precise Cu_(13)cluster protected by dual ligands of thiolate and phosphine that can be viewed as the assembly of one top Cu atom and three Cu_(4)tetrahedra.The Cu_(13)H_(10)(SR)_(3)(PR’_(3))_(7)(SR=2,4-dichlorobenzenethiol,PR’_(3)=P(4-FC_(6)H_(4))_(3))cluster can give rise to highly efficient light-driven activity for methanol steam reforming toward H_(2)production.

Low CO content hydrogen production from oxidative steam reforming of ethanol over CuO-CeO_2 catalysts at low-temperature

CuO-CeO2 catalysts were prepared by a urea precipitation method for the oxidative steam reforming of ethanol at low-temperature.The catalytic performance was evaluated and the catalysts were characterized by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction,temperature-programmed reduction,field emission scanning electron microscopy and thermo-gravimetric analysis.Over CuOCeO2 catalysts,H2 with low CO content was produced in the whole tested temperature range of 250–450 C.The non-noble metal catalyst 20CuCe showed higher H2production rate than 1%Rh/CeO2 catalyst at 300–400 C and the advantage was more obvious after 20 h testing at400 C.These results further confirmed that CuO-CeO2 catalysts may be suitable candidates for low temperature hydrogen production from ethanol.

Hydrogen production from steam reforming of methanol over CuO/ZnO/Al_2O_3 catalysts: Catalytic performance and kinetic modeling

A series of CuO/ZnO/Al_2O_3, CuO/ZnO/ZrO_2/Al_2O_3 and CuO/ZnO/CeO_2/Al_2O_3 catalysts were prepared by coprecipitation and characterized by N_2 adsorption, XRD, TPR, N_2O titration and HRTEM. The catalytic performances of these catalysts for the steam reforming of methanol were evaluated in a laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor at 0.1 MPa and temperatures between 473 and 543 K. The results showed that the catalytic activity depended greatly on the catalyst reducibility and the specific surface area of Cu. An approximate linear correlation between the catalytic activity and the Cu surface area was found for all catalysts investigated in this study.Compared to CuO/ZnO/Al_2O_3, the ZrO_2-doped CuO/ZnO/Al_2O_3 exhibited higher activity and selectivity to CO,while the CeO_2-doped catalyst displayed lower activity and selectivity. Finally, an intrinsic kinetic study was carried out over a screened CuO/ZnO/CeO_2/Al_2O_3 catalyst in the absence of internal and external mass transfer effects. A good agreement was observed between the model-derived effluent concentrations of CO(CO_2) and the experimental data. The activation energies for the reactions of methanol-steam reforming, water-gas shift and methanol decomposition over CuO/ZnO/CeO_2/Al_2O_3 were 93.1, 85.1 and 116.5 k J·mol^(-1), respectively.

High-efficient solar-driven hydrogen production by full-spectrum synergistic photo-thermo-catalytic methanol steam reforming with in-situ photoreduced Pt-CuO_(x) catalyst

Synergy between the intrinsic photon and thermal effects from full-spectrum sunlight for H_(2) production is considered to be central to further improve solar-driven H_(2) production.To that end,the photo-thermocatalyst that demonstrates both photoelectronic and photothermal conversion capabilities have drawn much attention recently.Here,we propose a novel synergistic full-spectrum photo-thermo-catalysis technique for high-efficient H_(2) production by solar-driven methanol steam reforming(MSR),along with the Pt-Cu Oxphoto-thermo-catalyst featuring Pt-Cu/Cu_(2)O/CuO heterojunctions by Pt-mediated in-situ photoreduction of Cu O.The results show that the H_(2) production performance rises superlinearly with increasing light intensity.The optimal H_(2) production rate of 1.6 mol g^(-1) h^(-1) with the corresponding solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 7%and the CO selectivity of 5%is achieved under 15×sun full-spectrum irradiance(1×sun=1 k W m^(-2))at 180°C,which is much more efficient than the previously-reported Cu-based thermo-catalysts for MSR normally operating at 250~350°C.These attractive performances result from the optimized reaction kinetics in terms of intensified intermediate adsorption and accelerated carrier transfer by long-wave photothermal effect,and reduced activation barrier by short-wave photoelectronic effect,due to the broadened full-spectrum absorbability of catalyst.This work has brought us into the innovative technology of full-spectrum synergistic photothermo-catalysis,which is envisioned to expand the application fields of high-efficient solar fuel production.

Reaction parameters influence on the catalytic performance of copper-silica aerogel in the methanol steam reforming

Steam reforming of methanol was carried out on the copper-silica aerogel catalyst.The effects of reaction temperature,feed rate,water to methanol molar ratio and carrier gas flowrate on the H_2 production rate and CO selectivity were investigated.M ethanol conversion was increased considerably in the range of about 240-300,after which it increased at a slightly lower rate.The used feed flowrate,steam to methanol molar ratio and carrier gas flowwere 1.2-9.0 m L/h,1.2-5.0 and 20-80 m L/min,respectively.Reducing the feed flowrate increased the H_2 production rate.It was found that an increase in the water to methanol ratio and decreasing the carrier gas flowrate slightly increases the H2production rate.Increasing the water to methanol ratio causes the lowest temperature in which CO formation was observed to rise,so that for the ratio of 5.0 no CO formation was detected in temperatures lower than 375℃.In all conditions,by approaching the complete conversion,increasing the main product concentration,increasing the temperature and contact time,and decreasing the steam to methanol ratio,the CO selectivity was increased.These results suggested that CO was formed as a secondary product through reverse water-gas shift reaction and did not participate in the methanol steam reforming reaction mechanism.

High-performance Cu/Zn O/Al_(2)O_(3) catalysts for methanol steam reforming with enhanced Cu-ZnO synergy effect via magnesium assisted strategy

Methanol steam reforming(MSR) is an attractive approach to produce hydrogen for fuel cells.Due to the limited catalyst loading volume and frequent start-ups and shut-downs on board,it is highly desired to develop an extremely active and robust catalyst.Herein,on the basis of industrial Cu/ZnO/Al_(2) O_(3) catalysts,a series of CuZnAl-xMg catalysts with enhanced Cu-ZnO synergy were synthesized via magnesium assisted strategy.The incorporation of magnesium was found to be beneficial to the enhancement of catalytic activity and stability of catalyst.A combination of complementa ry characterizations(e.g.XRD,H_(2)-TPR,N_(2) O chemisorption,TEM,XPS analysis etc.) proves that isomorphous substitution of Cu^(2+)in malachite phase gives rise to more dispersive Cu and ZnO NPs,and the increased Cu^(+)/Cu~0 ratio indicates the strengthened Cu-ZnO synergy effect,which leads to the boosted stability during the thermal treatment.

Simulation Studies of the Hydrogen Production from Methanol Partial Oxidation Steam Reforming by a Tubular Packed-bed Catalytic Reactor

Hydrogen production by partial oxidation steam reforming of methanol over a Cu/ZnO/Al2 O3 catalyst has been paid more and more attention. The chemical equilibria involved in the methanol partial oxidation steam reforming reaction network such as methanol partial oxidation, methanol steam reforming, decomposition of methanol and water-gas shift reaction have been examined over the ranges of temperature 473-1073 K under normal pressure. Based on the detailed kinetics of these reactions over a Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst, and from the basic concept of the effectiveness factor, the intraparticle diffusion limitations were taken into account. The effectiveness factors for each reaction along the bed length were calculated. Then important results were offered for the simulation of this reaction process.

Methanol Steam Reforming Reactions on CuZn(Zr)AlO Catalyst

The catalytic performances of methanol steam reforming reactions on CuZn(Zr)AIO catalysts were studied. When the ZrO2 promoter was added to a CuZnAIO catalyst, its methanol conversion, H2 production and H2 selectivity improved greatly. By using the (?)COPZr-2 catalyst as an example, which exhibited the best catalytic performance, the optimized reaction conditions were established to be: 250℃, 0.1 MPa, H2O/MeOH=1.3, WHSV=3.56 h-1, and without carrier gas. A 150 h stability test of the (?)COPZr-2 catalyst showed that the catalyst had good stability, as the methanol conversion and H2 production could be kept at 88% and 83% respectively. Moreover, outlet H2 and CO contents were>63% and 0.20%-0.31%, respectively.

Methanol Steam Reforming Catalysts for Fuel Cell Driven Electric Vehicles

Cu/ZnAlO catalysts derived from hydroxycarbonate precursors containinghydrotalcite-like layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were studied. The influence on the performanceof the catalysts was also studied when the Al in the Cu/ZnAlO catalyst was partly or completelyreplaced by Zr or Ce.

Study on Performance of Laminated Porous Metal Fiber Sintered Felt as Catalyst Support for Methanol Steam Reforming Microreactor

In this study, the laminated porous metal fiber sintered felt(PMFSF) functioning as catalyst support was used in a cylindrical methanol steam reforming(MSR) microreactor for hydrogen production. The PMFSF was fabricated by the low temperature solid-phase sintering method using metal fibers such as copper fibers and aluminum fibers which are obtained by the multi-tooth cutting method. The two-layer impregnation method was employed to coat Cu/Zn/Al/Zr catalyst on the PMFSF. The effect of fiber material, uniform porosity and gradient porosity on the performance of methano steam reforming microreactor was studied by varying the gas hourly space velocity(GHSV) and reaction temperature. Our results showed that the loading strength of porous copper fiber sintered felt(PCFSF) was better than porous aluminum fiber sintered felt(PAFSF). Under the same reaction conditions, the PCFSF showed higher methanol conversion and more H_2 output than PAFSF. Moreover, the gradient porosity(Type 5: 90%×80%×70%) of PMFSF used as the catalyst support in microreactor demonstrated a best reaction performance for hydrogen production.

DFT Study on the Catalytic Role ofα-MoC(100)in Methanol Steam Reforming

In this work,we investigated the methanol steam reforming(MSR)reaction(CH_(3)OH+H_(2)O→CO_(2)+3H_(2))catalyzed byα-MoC by means of density functional theory calculations.The adsorption behavior of the relevant intermediates and the kinetics of the elementary steps in the MSR reaction are systematically investigated.The results show that,on theα-MoC(100)surface,the O−H bond cleavage of CH3OH leads to CH3O,which subsequently dehydrogenates to CH_(2)O.Then,the formation of CH_(2)OOH between CH_(2)O and OH is favored over the decomposition to CHO and H.The sequential dehydrogenation of CH_(2)OOH results in a high selectivity for CO_(2).In contrast,the over-strong adsorption of the CH_(2)O intermediate on theα-MoC(111)surface leads to its dehydrogenation to CO product.In addition,we found that OH species,which is produced from the facile water activation,help the O−H bond breaking of intermediates by lowering the reaction energy barrier.This work not only reveals the catalytic role played byα-MoC(100)in the MSR reaction,but also provides theoretical guidance for the design ofα-MoC-based catalysts.

Methanol Steam Reforming over Na-Doped ZnO-Al2O3 Catalysts

In this study, the catalyst composition in binary ZnO-Al2O3 catalyst was initially evaluated and optimized for methanol steam reforming. Then different Na contents were loaded by an incipient wetness impregnation method onto the optimized ZnAl catalyst. It was found that the activity was greatly enhanced by the modification of Na, which depended on the Na content in the catalyst. The methanol conversion was 96% on a 0.1 Na/0.4 ZnAl catalyst (GHSV = 14,040 h-1, S/C = 1.4, 350°C), which was much higher with respect to a Na-free 0.4 ZnAl catalyst (74%). The remarkable improvement of activity was attributed to a weakening of the C-H bonds and clear of hydroxyl group by the Na dopant leading to an accelerated dehydrogenation of the reaction intermediates formed on ZnAl2O4 spinel surface and thus the overall reaction.

Highly controlled structured catalysts for on-board methanol reforming

The on-board methanol steam reforming(MSR) has long been considered as an effective approach to insitu produce hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles(FCVs). However, the conventional MSR catalyst pellets suffer from easy breakage during the vehicle movement, leading to increased pressure drop and reduced system stability. Herein, we introduce an integrated method to prepare the highly controlled structured catalysts based on coupled processes: direct prototyping the structured substrate using digital light processing(DLP) 3D printing technology, in-situ dynamic crystallization of active components assisted by magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) and calcination. The synthesized catalyst owns a gradient layer of active component, and exhibits better MSR performance, higher mechanical strength, reduced pressure drop, higher Cu dispersion and better adhesion of active compounds when compared with the conventional powder and pellet catalysts. The demonstrated successful application proves the feasibility of developed method,which has great potential to be used for preparing precisely other monolithic catalysts with customized structures.

Controllable synthesis of CuAlO_(2) via solid-phase method and its catalytic performance for methanol steam reforming to hydrogen

This study explores the controllable synthesis of CuAlO_(2) using copper hydroxide and pseudo-boehmite powders as raw materials via a simple solid-phase ball milling method,along with its catalytic performance investigation in methanol steam reforming(MSR).Various catalysts were prepared under different conditions,such as calcination temperature,calcination atmosphere,and heating rate.Characterization techniques including BET,XRD,XPS,SEM and H2-TPR were employed to analyze the samples.The results revealed significant effects of calcination temperature on the phase compositions,specific surface area,reduction performance,and surface properties of the CA-T catalysts.Based on the findings,a synthesis route of CuAlO_(2) via the solid-phase method was proposed,highlighting the importance of high calcination temperature,nitrogen atmosphere,and low heating rate for CuAlO_(2) formation.Catalytic evaluation data demonstrated that CuAlO_(2) could catalyze MSR without pre-reduction,with the catalytic performance of CA-T catalysts being notably influenced by calcination temperature.Among the prepared catalysts,the CA-1100 catalyst exhibited the highest catalytic activity and stability.The findings of this study might be useful for the further study of the catalytic material for sustained release catalysis,including the synthesis of catalytic materials and the regulation of sustained release catalytic performance.

Probing crystalline phase effect of rare earth metal oxides(REO)on Cu/REO(RE=Gd,Eu,Sm)catalysts for methanol steam reforming(MSR)to produce H_(2)

In this work,to study the phase structure effect,three groups of Cu/REO catalysts were prepared with cubic and monoclinic Gd_(2)O_(3),Eu_(2)O_(3)and Sm_(2)O_(3) supports for MSR reaction to produce H_(2).Based on CH3OH conversion and H_(2)yield,the reaction perfo rmance of the catalysts ranks as Cu/Sm_(2)O_(3)-M>Cu/Sm_(2)O_(3)-C>Cu/Gd_(2)O_(3)-M>Cu/Gd_(2)O_(3)-C>Cu/Eu_(2)O_(3)-M>Cu/Eu_(2)O_(3)-C.For the same kind of REO,Cu supported on the monoclinic support shows better performance than on the cubic one.Despite the phase structure difference,Sm_(2)O_(3) is the best support among all the three kinds of REOs.Compared with Cu/REO catalysts prepared with cubic supports,the corresponding catalysts prepared with monoclinic supports generally possess mo re surface oxygen vacancies,which can generate mo re surface active oxygen(O_(2)^(-)) and moderate basic sites.Moreover,the contents of Cu^(+) on the catalysts follow the same sequence.The reaction performance is positively related to the amount of these three types of surface sites.But metallic Cuo species is necessary to maintain the Cu^(+)■Cu^(0) redox cycle.Furthe rmore,on a catalyst with good perfo rmance,those vital surface reaction intermediates can be stabilized during the reaction.Cu/Sm_(2)O_(3)-M possesses the largest quantities of these surface sites,and has the appropriate amount of Cu^(+) and Cu^(0) after reduction,thereby displaying the optimal performance in all the catalysts.In conclusion,evident support crystal structure effect is observed for Cu/REO catalysts,and a monoclinic phase REO is a better support than the respective cubic phase one.

光热协同甲醇水蒸气重整制氢实验和微观机理研究

针对太阳能光热化学甲醇重整制氢中光热耦合效应及微观机理尚不清楚的问题,采用光热化学和热化学反应对比的研究方式,与微观实验相结合,研究了光热化学甲醇重整中光和热的耦合效应,探究了光和热在微观产物转化中的反应路径。研究结果表明:在较低温度下,光对氢气产率的提升具有促进作用,当其与热化学达到相同氢气产率时,光热化学反应温度降低,造成这种现象的原因是光促进了水的分解、吸附态HCOO*的生成以及碳酸盐的分解,其中水在反应中的作用通过不同水醇比的实验得到了进一步验证;随着温度的升高,固定辐照度下光的促进作用逐渐降低,这是因为光对碳酸盐物质分解的促进作用随温度升高而减弱。研究阐明了光和热的耦合效应,分析了对应的微观机理,为理解光热协同机理提供了理论基础。

铈基复合氧化物负载CuO用于甲醇水蒸气重整制氢

甲醇水蒸气重整制氢工艺具有反应温度低、H_(2)选择性高、副产物CO含量低等优点,常与燃料电池联用。CeO_(2)有较好的储放氧功能,但其热稳定性较差。采用共沉淀法将不同过渡金属掺杂在CeO_(2)载体上形成CeMO_(2)(M为Zr,Mn,Fe和Cr)固溶体,后通过沉积-沉淀法负载一定量的CuO,制备出一系列的CuO/CeMO_(2)催化剂。通过XRD、H_(2)-TPR、XPS等表征手段,探究不同过渡金属掺杂对催化剂结构、性质和甲醇水蒸气重整制氢活性的影响。结果表明,掺杂Zr和Mn提高了催化剂的比表面积和Cu分散度,促进了缺陷结构的形成和氧空位的迁移效率,使CuO和CeO_(2)之间的相互作用加强。而Fe和Cr的加入降低了CuO的分散,削弱了Cu-Ce的相互作用,使催化剂的催化性能降低,产生负面影响。其中,CuO/CeZrO_(2)催化活性最佳,在反应温度250℃、水/醇摩尔比1.3和气体体积空速2400 h^(-1)时,甲醇转化率达到90%,产氢速率为95 mL/(g·min)。

制备方法对Cu/Ce_(0.8)Zr_(0.2)O_(2)催化剂催化甲醇水蒸气重整制氢性能的影响

制备方法会影响催化剂中Cu物种种类、分散性及其与载体之间的相互作用。分别采用沉积沉淀法、氨蒸法、浸渍法和共沉淀法制备了以Ce_(0.8)Zr_(0.2)O_(2)固溶体为载体、Cu负载量(质量分数)为15%的Cu/Ce_(0.8)Zr_(0.2)O_(2)催化剂。采用XRD、N_(2)物理吸/脱附、N_(2)O滴定和SEM等对催化剂的物相组成、织构性质、Cu分散度和微观结构等进行了表征,并采用固定床反应器评价了催化剂的甲醇水蒸气重整制氢催化性能。结果表明,与其他3种方法制备的Cu/Ce_(0.8)Zr_(0.2)O_(2)催化剂相比,采用沉积沉淀法制备的Cu/Ce_(0.8)Zr_(0.2)O_(2)催化剂(Cu/Ce_(0.8)Zr_(0.2)O_(2)-DP)具有相对最大的比表面积(82.5 m^(2)/g)和Cu比表面积(206.0 m^(2)/g),以及相对最高的Cu分散度(30.5%)。在温度为250℃、常压、n(去离子水):n(甲醇)为1.3:1.0和液时空速为6 mL/(g·h)的条件下反应24 h,Cu/Ce_(0.8)Zr_(0.2)O_(2)-DP表现出相对最优的催化性能,其甲醇转化率为95.2%,产氢速率为286.8 mmol/(g·h),CO选择性为0.86%。