Effect of molar ratio of water / ethanol on hydrogen selectivity in catalytic production of hydrogen using steam reforming of ethanol

Abstract

As fossil energy resources are shrinking, the increase in global energy needs and environmental pollution paved the way to the search for new and renewable energy resources. Therefore, the future of energy technology is being built on the use of hydrogen, which is one of the cleanest and most efficient renewable energy sources, and steam reforming is becoming the utmost method to produce hydrogen. This study focuses on the operation condition of steam reforming of ethanol on catalyst materials, which were shaped using active metals such as Ni, Cu and Cs and supporting materials which were activated by carbon and LiAlO2. These catalyst materials were tested to produce hydrogen gas using different water/ethanol mole ratio at different temperatures and a constant feed flow rate. The evaluation regarding hydrogen selectivity results and the percentage of hydrogen in the products revealed that NiCuCs/LiAlO2 catalyst showed the highest performance at all water/ethanol ratios and temperatures between 300 and 600 °C.