Renewable Hydrogen Generation by Steam Reforming of Acetic Acid Over Cu-Zn-Ni Catalyst Supported On Calcium Aluminate

Wednesday, October 19, 2011: 1:50 PM
200 J (Minneapolis Convention Center)
Madhumita Patel, Chemical Engineering, IIT Delhi, Delhi, India and K. K. Pant, Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, New Delhi, India

Catalytic steam reforming of biomass-derived-oil is one of the promising methods for the production of renewable hydrogen. Typically bio oil contains 12-14% by wt. acetic acid therefore it has been chosen as the model compound for the reforming of bio oil. In the present study performance of the Cu-Zn-Ni/CaO-Al2O3 catalyst was investigated for  hydrogen production  with an aim of minimisation of methane and carbon monoxide formation. The calcium aluminate support was prepared by solid-solid reaction between calcium oxide and aluminium oxide (12/7 molar ratio)  at 12500C temperature for 24 hr. XRD results indicated that 12CaO.7Al2O3 appeared as major phase with CaO.2Al2O3 and CaO as minor phases in the support. Cu, Zn and Ni were loaded on this support by wet impregnation method. For the preparation of catalyst, initial loadings of  Cu, Zn and Ni  were kept as  10%, 1% and 7% by wt. respectively. The catalyst was characterized by BET, XRD, SEM-EDX, TEM and TPR to understand the physic-chemical properties of the catalysts. The steam reforming reaction was carried out in a tubular fixed bed reactor (I.D=19mm) at different temperatures ranging from 600-7000C with 3 gram of catalyst and water to acetic acid ratio of 9:1 (by wt.). The role of Ni metal was to break the C-C bond present in acetic acid and Cu metal promoted the steam reforming reaction on the surface of the catalyst. Incorporation of Zn enhanced the acetic acid conversion and H2 yield and also reduced deactivation of catalyst. The coke formation on the support surface was insignificant due to the presence of excess oxygen in the 12CaO.7Al2O3 phase. At 7000C, % hydrogen yield was approximately 92% and acetic acid conversion was approximately 90%.

Extended Abstract: File Not Uploaded
See more of this Session: Catalytic Hydrogen Generation - General I
See more of this Group/Topical: Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division