Comparison of Co Particle Catalysts and Supported Cobalt Catalysts for Ethanol Steam Reforming: Primary Factors for Suppressed CH4 Production and Enhanced H2 and CO2 Production

Abstract

Abstract We compared the performance of supported Co catalysts and Co particle catalysts in ethanol steam reforming. The product yields obtained with the supported Co catalysts, which were prepared from Co(NO3)2·6H2O, were strongly influenced by the composition of the support material. The Co particle catalysts showed higher activity and produced more H2 than any of the supported Co catalysts examined. As the ethanol partial pressure was increased from 317 to 3756 Pa, production of CH4 over both types of catalysts was suppressed relative to that observed previously over Rh catalysts. Highly selective production of H2 and CO2 was achieved over Co particle catalysts prepared from Co(C5H7O2)2·2H2O. We suggest that the larger crystallite size and the resulting smaller specific surface area of the Co particle catalysts suppressed CH4 production and enhanced selective production of H2 and CO2 during the reforming reaction.