Engineering oxygen vacancies on Tb-doped ceria supported Pt catalyst for hydrogen production through steam reforming of long-chain hydrocarbon fuels

Steam reforming of long-chain hydrocarbon fuels for hydrogen production has received great attention for thermal management of the hypersonic vehicle and fuel-cell application.In this work,Pt catalysts supported on CeO_(2)and Tb-doped CeO_(2)were prepared by a precipitation method.The physical structure and chemical properties of the as-prepared catalysts were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,Raman spectroscopy,H_(2)temperature programmed reduction,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The results show that Tb-doped CeO_(2)supported Pt possesses abundant surface oxygen vacancies,good inhibition of ceria sintering,and strong metal-support interaction compared with CeO_(2)supported Pt.The catalytic performance of hydrogen production via steam reforming of long-chain hydrocarbon fuels(n-dodecane)was tested.Compared with 2Pt/CeO_(2),2Pt/Ce_(0.9)Tb_(0.1)O_(2),and 2Pt/Ce_(0.5)Tb_(0.5)O_(2),the 2Pt/Ce_(0.7)Tb_(0.3)O_(2)has higher activity and stability for hydrogen production,on which the conversion of n-dodecane was maintained at about 53.2%after 600 min reaction under 700℃at liquid space velocity of 9 ml·g^(-1)·h^(-1).2Pt/CeO_(2)rapidly deactivated,the conversion of n-dodecane was reduced to only 41.6%after 600 min.

Ethanol steam reforming over Ni/ZSM-5 nanosheet for hydrogen production

Compared to reforming reactions using hydrocarbons,ethanol steam reforming(ESR)is a sustainable alternative for hydrogen(H_(2))production since ethanol can be produced sustainably using biomass.This work explores the catalyst design strategies for preparing the Ni supported on ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts to promote ESR.Specifically,two-dimensional ZSM-5 nanosheet and conventional ZSM-5 crystal were used as the catalyst carriers and two synthesis strategies,i.e.,in situ encapsulation and wet impregnation method,were employed to prepare the catalysts.Based on the comparative characterization of the catalysts and comparative catalytic assessments,it was found that the combination of the in situ encapsulation synthesis and the ZSM-5 nanosheet carrier was the effective strategy to develop catalysts for promoting H_(2) production via ESR due to the improved mass transfer(through the 2-D structure of ZSM-5 nanosheet)and formation of confined small Ni nanoparticles(resulted via the in situ encapsulation synthesis).In addition,the resulting ZSM-5 nanosheet supported Ni catalyst also showed high Ni dispersion and high accessibility to Ni sites by the reactants,being able to improve the activity and stability of catalysts and suppress metal sintering and coking during ESR at high reaction temperatures.Thus,the Ni supported on ZSM-5 nanosheet catalyst prepared by encapsulation showed the stable performance with~88% ethanol conversion and~65% H_(2) yield achieved during a 48-h longevity test at 550-C.

Pt nanoclusters modified porous g-C_(3)N_(4)nanosheets to significantly enhance hydrogen production by photocatalytic water reforming of methanol

For the use of green hydrogen energy,it is crucial to have efficient photocatalytic activity for hydrogen generation by water reforming of methanol under mild conditions.Much attention has been paid to gC_(3)N_(4)as a promising photocatalyst for the generation of hydrogen.To improve the separation of photogenerated charge,porous nanosheet g-C_(3)N_(4)was modified with Pt nanoclusters(Pt/g-C_(3)N_(4))through impregnation and following photo-induced reduction.This catalyst showed excellent photocatalytic activity of water reforming of methanol fo r hydrogen production with a 17.12 mmol·g^(-1)·h^(-1)rate at room temperature,which was 311 times higher than that of the unmodified g-C_(3)N_(4).The strong interactions of Pt-N in Pt/g-C_(3)N_(4)constructed effective electron transfer channels to promote the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes effectively.In addition,in-situ infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the intermediates of the hydrogen production reaction,which proved that methanol and water eventually turn into H_(2)and CO_(2)via formaldehyde and formate.This study provides insights for understanding the photocatalytic hydrogen production in the water reforming of methanol.

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.

Improvement of low temperature activity and stability of Ni catalysts with addition of Pt for hydrogen production via steam reforming of ethylene glycol

Hydrogen production by steam reforming of ethylene glycol(EG) at 300℃ was investigated over SiO2 and CeO2 supported Pt–Ni bimetallic catalysts prepared by incipient wetness impregnation methods. It was observed that impregnation sequence of Pt and Ni can affect the performance of catalysts apparently. Catalyst with Pt first and then Ni addition showed higher EG conversion and H2 yield owing to the Ni enrichment on the surface and the proper interaction between Pt and Ni. It was observed that although SiO2 supported catalysts exhibited better activity and H2 selectivity, CeO2 supported ones had better stability. This is attributed to the less coke formation on CeO2. Increasing Pt/Ni ratio enhanced the reaction activity, and Pt3–Ni7 catalysts with 3 wt% Pt and 7 wt% Ni showed the highest activity and stability. Ni surficial enrichment facilitated the C-C bond rupture and water gas shift reactions;and Pt addition inhibited methanation reaction. Electron transfer and hydrogen spillover from Pt to Ni suppressed carbon deposition. These combined effects lead to the excellent performance of Pt3–Ni7 supported catalysts.

Hydrogen production from steam reforming of ethanol over Ni/MgO-CeO_2 catalyst at low temperature

MgO,CeO2 and MgO-CeO2 with different mole ratio of Mg:Ce were prepared by solid-phase burning method.Catalysts Ni/MgO,Ni/CeO2 and Ni/MgO-CeO2 were prepared by impregnation method.The catalytic properties were evaluated in ethanol steam reforming(ESR) reaction.Specific surface areas of the supports were measured by nitrogen adsorption-desorption at 77 K,and the catalysts were characterized with X-ray diffraction(XRD),temperature programmed reduction(TPR) and thermogravimetric(TG).The results showed that well...

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.

Silicon Nitride Supported Cobalt Catalyst for Enhanced Hydrogen Production from Ethanol Steam Reforming

Silicon nitride(Si_(3)N_(4))supported cobalt catalysts(Co/Si_(3)N_(4))were fabricated by using wetness impregnation procedure.The microscopic morphology,phase composition,and electronic states were characterized by XRD,TEM,SEM,and XPS,respectively.For comparison,cobalt catalyst supported on SiO_(2)(Co/SiO_(2))was also investigated.XPS studies and DFT calculations show that the cobalt species in Co/Si_(3)N_(4) have lower valence state than those in Co/SiO_(2).The catalytic ESR reactions demonstrate that Co/Si_(3)N_(4) exhibits distinctly higher catalytic activity and hydrogen selectivity than Si_(3)N_(4) support and Co/SiO_(2) catalyst with the identical cobalt loading,indicative of the favorable effect of Si_(3)N_(4) support on the catalytic performance of supported cobalt catalyst.Durability tests and TG-DSC studies show that Co/Si_(3)N_(4) catalyst exhibits better stability and resistance to coke during the same catalytic experiment period.

Glycerol steam reforming over hydrothermal synthetic Ni-Ca/attapulgite for green hydrogen generation

Glycerol steam reforming(GSR)is one of the promising technologies that can realize renewable hydrogen production and efficient utilization of crude glycerol.To illuminate the functions of Ca content(3%,6%,9%,and 12%,by mass)and preparation method for Ni/ATP catalyst structure and its catalytic behaviors,the Ni-xCa/ATP(x=3%,6%,9%,and 12%,by mass)catalysts are prepared by co-impregnation(ci)and hydrothermal synthesis(hs)method and then tested in GSR.Characterization results of XRD,N_(2) adsorption–desorption,H_(2)-TPR,HRTEM,XPS,and NH_(3)/CO_(2)-TPD demonstrate that the combined effect between appropriate Ca additive(6%,by mass)and hs enhance catalyst reducibility,uniform distribution of Ca additive and nickel species over ATP,and adsorption for CO_(2).This attributes to hs method protects the ATP framework through suppressing the interaction of Ca with ATP and promotes the formation of NiCaOx interface sites.Therefore,Ni-6Ca/ATP-hs exhibits the highest conversion(86.77%)of glycerol to gas product and H_(2) yield(76.17%)and selectivity(58.56%)during GSR.Furthermore,XRD,HRTEM,TGDTG and Raman analyses confirm that Ni-6Ca/ATP-hs also reveals outstanding anti-sintering and coke resistance.In addition,the structural evolution process of Ni/ATP catalyst with Ca introduction and hs method is presented.Considering the high performance,simple preparation process and low cost,the as-prepared catalyst providing new opportunities for utilization of glycerol derived from biodiesel industry.

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.

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.

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.

Production of Synthesis Gases from Ethanol Steam Reforming Process

In this study, the production of synthesis gases has been purposed under between 250oC - 700oC and 1 - 2 bars pressures. The research was conducted over a commercial BASF catalyst and a laboratory prepared catalyst. The catalyst has a content of different substances including basically NiO/Al2O3 and some additionals (Ca, Mg, Cr, Si). The experimental measurements were carried out within a recently developed experimental equipment which can be operated up to 1200o and 1 to 3 bars pressures. The study was conducted over a commercial BASF catalyst and a laboratory prepared catalyst under different ethanol/water ratios, temperatures, and catalyst loads. Under the condition when ethanol/water ratios were decreased from 1/2 to 1/10, it was observed that hydrogen ratios increased in exit gas composition of the reactor. With increments in catalyst loads from 1 to 5 grammes, hydrogen ratios in exit gas composition gradually increased. Reaction of ethanol-steam reforming started nearly at 300oC, and when temperature increments continued further up to 700oC, hydrogen yields in exit gas compositions of the reactor increased significantly to a range of 70% - 80%. In the case of using commercial BASF catalyst, hydrogen ratios in exit gas composition were found slightly higher than laboratory prepared catalyst. According to our observations, life time of laboratory prepared catalyst was found higher than the commercial BASF catalyst. In this study which kinetic measurements were applied, some kinetic parameters of ethanol-steam reaction were calculated. The mean activation energy of ethanol consumptions at 573oK - 973oK was found as 26.87 kJ/mol, approximately. All kinetic measurements were analyzed with a first order reaction rate model. In this study, some diffusion limitations existed, however, overall reaction was chemically controlled.

Improved catalytic performance of Ni catalysts for steam methane reforming in a micro-channel reactor

Milliseconds process to produce hydrogen by steam methane reforming （SMR） reaction, based on Ni catalyst rather than noble catalyst such as Pd, Rh or Ru, in micro-channel reactors has been paid more and more attentions in recent years. This work aimed to further improve the catalytic performance of nickel-based catalyst by the introduction of additives, i.e., MgO and FeO, prepared by impregnation method on the micro-channels made of metal-ceramic complex substrate. The prepared catalysts were tested in the same micro-channel reactor by switching the catalyst plates. The results showed that among the tested catalysts Ni-Mg catalyst had the highest activity, especially under harsh conditions, i.e., at high space velocity and/or low reaction temperature. Moreover, the catalyst activity and selectivity were stable during the 12 h on stream test even when the ratio of steam to carbon （SIC） was as low as 1.0. The addition of MgO promoted the active Ni species to have a good dispersion on the substrate, leading to a better catalytic performance for SMR reaction.

Performance assessment of a spiral methanol to hydrogen fuel processor for fuel cell applications

A novel design of plate-type microchannel reactor has been developed for fuel cell-grade hydrogen production.Commercial Cu/Zn/Al2O3 was used as catalyst for the reforming reaction,and its effectiveness was evaluated on the mole fraction of products,methanol conversion,hydrogen yield and the amount of carbon monoxide under various operating conditions.Subsequently,0.5 wt% Ru/Al2O3 as methanation catalyst was prepared by impregnation method and coupled with MSR step to evaluate the capability of methanol processor for CO reduction.Based on the experimental results,the optimum conditions were obtained as feed flow rate of 5mL/h and temperature of 250℃,leading to a low CO selectivity and high H2 yield.The designed reformer with catalyst coated layer was compared with the conventional packed bed reformer at the same operating conditions.The constructed fuel processor had a good performance and excellent capability for on-board hydrogen production.

Steam Reforming of Dimethyl Ether over Coupled Catalysts of CuO-ZnO-Al2Oa-ZrO2 and Solid-acid Catalyst

Steam reforming(SR) of dimethyl ether(DME) was investigated for the production of hydrogen for fuel cells.The activity of a series of solid acids for DME hydrolysis was investigated.The solid acid catalysts were ZSM-5 [Si/Al = 25,38 and 50:denoted Z(Si/Al)] and acidic alumina(γ-Al2O3) with an acid strength order that was Z(25)>Z(38)>Z(50)>γ-Al2O3.Stronger acidity gave higher DME hydrolysis conversion.Physical mixtures containing a CuO-ZnO-Al2O3-ZrO2 catalyst and solid acid catalyst to couple DME hydrolysis and methanol SR were used to examine the acidity effects on DME SR.DME SR activity strongly depended on the activity for DME hydrolysis.Z(25) was the best solid acid catalyst for DME SR and gave a DME conversion>90% [T = 24℃,n(H2O)/n(DME) = 3.5,space velocity=1179 ml·(g cat)-1·h-1,and P=0.1MPa].The influences of the reaction temperature,space velocity and feed molar ratio were studied.Hydrogen production significantly depended on temperature and space velocity.A bifunctional catalyst of CuO-ZnO-Al2O3-ZrO2 catalyst and ZSM-5 gave a high H2 production rate and CO2 selectivity.

Regulation of Oxygen Activity by Lattice Confinement over Ni_(x)Mg_(1-x)O Catalysts for Renewable Hydrogen Production

The chemical looping steam reforming(CLSR)of bioethanol is an energy-efficient and carbon-neutral approach of hydrogen production.This paper describes the use of a Ni_(x)Mg_(1-x)O solid solution as the oxy-gen carrier(OC)in the CLSR of bioethanol.Due to the regulation effect of Mg^(2+)in Ni_(x)Mg_(1-x)O,a three-stage reaction mechanism of the CLSR process is proposed.The surface oxygen of Ni_(x)Mg_(1-x)O initially causes complete oxidation of the ethanol.Subsequently,H_(2)O and bulk oxygen confined by Mg^(2+)react with etha-nol to form CH_(3)COO^(*)followed by H_(2) over partially reduced Ni_(x)Mg_(1-x)O.Once the bulk oxygen is con-sumed,the ethanol steam reforming process is promoted by the metallic nickel in the stage Ⅲ.As a result,Ni_(0.4)Mg_(0.6)O exhibits a high H_(2) selectivity(4.72 mol H_(2) per mole ethanol)with a low steam-to-carbon molar ratio of 1,and remains stable over 30 CLSR cycles.The design of this solid-solution OC pro-vides a versatile strategy for manipulating the chemical looping process.

Hydrodynamic Effect on the Iso-octane Steam-Reforming in a Monolithic Reactor Channel

The production process of clean hydrogen by iso-octane steam reforming in a micro-reactor under atmospheric pressure,and the high temperature was investigated.The simulation is done using momentum conservation,mass conservation,and convection-diffusion equations,represented by the Navier-Stocks equations,the continuity equation,and the Steffan-Maxwell equation respectively.The resolution was performed using a differential equations discretization into their conservative by the finite element method with an unconditionally stable scheme.An analysis of the hydrodynamics of the flow effect shows that the hydrogen produced by iso-octane reforming is proportional to the mixed flow Reynolds number.

Hydrogen Production Technologies Overview

Hydrogen energy became the most significant energy as the current demand gradually starts to increase. Hydrogen energy is an important key solution to tackle the global temperature rise. The key important factor of hydrogen production is the hydrogen economy. Hydrogen production technologies are commercially available, while some of these technologies are still under development. This paper reviews the hydrogen production technologies from both fossil and non-fossil fuels such as (steam reforming, partial oxidation, auto thermal, pyrolysis, and plasma technology). Additionally, water electrolysis technology was reviewed. Water electrolysis can be combined with the renewable energy to get eco-friendly technology. Currently, the maximum hydrogen fuel productions were registered from the steam reforming, gasification, and partial oxidation technologies using fossil fuels. These technologies have different challenges such as the total energy consumption and carbon emissions to the environment are still too high. A novel non-fossil fuel method [ammonia NH3] for hydrogen production using plasma technology was reviewed. Ammonia decomposition using plasma technology without and with a catalyst to produce pure hydrogen was considered as compared case studies. It was showed that the efficiency of ammonia decomposition using the catalyst was higher than ammonia decomposition without the catalyst. The maximum hydrogen energy efficiency obtained from the developed ammonia decomposition system was 28.3% with a hydrogen purity of 99.99%. The development of ammonia decomposition processes is continues for hydrogen production, and it will likely become commercial and be used as a pure hydrogen energy source.

Kinetics for hydrogen production by methanol steam reforming in fluidized bed reactor

Hydrogen is one of the best energy carriers.Fluidized bed reactor provides a promising approach for hydrogen production. To describe the hydrogen generating rate with methanol steam reforming in fluidized bed reactor quantitatively, dual-rate kinetic models of the reactions with exponent form were developed, including that of steam reforming reaction(SR) and decomposition reaction(DE).The reaction rate per unit mass of catalyst was related to partial pressures of components. The exponentials in kinetic equations were obtained by linear least-squares method based on the experimental data. The variance homogeneity test(F test) shows that the dynamic models are feasible with high accuracy, which can be used to predict the generating rate of hydrogen under different reaction temperatures and feed flow rates in fluidized bed reactor. The SR and DE activation energy obtained indicates that ESR\ EDE, which can explain the previous observation that the CO_2 selectivity decreased with the temperature increase.