AFe2O4 (A=Cu, Ni, Co, Mg, Ce, Mn) Catalysts for Hydrogen‐Rich Syngas Production from Corn Straw Pyrolysis‐Catalytic Steam Reforming

Abstract

CuFe2O4, an iron‐based spinel catalyst, along with NiFe2O4, CoFe2O4, MgFe2O4, CeFe2O4, and MnFe2O4 are prepared using the sol–gel method. Different modified transition metals have been investigated to determine the influence on hydrogen production in a fixed‐bed reactor. The results indicated that all the prepared catalysts exhibit a spinel structure. At a reaction temperature of 700 °C, with a water–carbon molar ratio of S/C = 1.5 and a biomass‐to‐catalyst mass ratio of 1:1, the performance ranking of the AFe2O4 spinel catalysts is as follows: CeFe2O4 > CuFe2O4 > MnFe2O4 > NiFe2O4 > CoFe2O4 > MgFe2O4 > no catalyst. CeFe2O4 and CuFe2O4 catalysts demonstrate superior performance, with hydrogen volume fractions of 42.26% and 41.63% respectively. The AFe2O4 catalyst exhibits effective catalytic activity in the production of hydrogen from corn straw using water vapor, with the synergistic effect of A metal and Fe enhancing the catalytic activity of AFe2O4.