Deactivation of Noble-Metal Catalysts During Autothermal Reforming of Jet Fuel

Conversion of energy-dense liquid hydrocarbon fuels to syngas is one method for fueling portable fuel cells.  Managing carbon deposition and deactivation, especially in high-sulfur feeds such as jet fuel, remains challenging.  Catalysts comprising noble metals supported on Ce-Zr mixed oxides have previously been shown as very active and durable for this conversion, with steady state performance demonstrated to 300+ hours.  Despite this sustained performance, the catalysts themselves undergo dramatic changes in both physical surface area and chemisorption uptake.  During operation, both reversible and irreversible deactivation have been observed.  This study summarizes links the observed performance and changing catalyst properties during reforming of clean and sulfur-laden hydrocarbon fuels.