Ethanol Steam Reforming on Ni-Based Catalysts: Effect of Cu and Fe Addition on the Catalytic Activity and Resistance to Deactivation

Abstract

Ethanol steam reforming (ESR) on a group of multifunctional xFeyCu10Ni-Beta catalysts was studied using in X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), temperature-programmed reduction in hydrogen (H2-TPR), temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO), and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) techniques with a focus on the structural characterization of the active sites, the effect of different amounts of Cu and Fe phases and understanding the reaction pathway for the catalysts. The 1.5Fe1.5Cu10Ni-Beta catalyst exhibited very good catalytic performance for the ESR, including high activity, high H2 selectivity, and low undesired products, because of the synergistic catalysis of Ni, Cu, and Fe phases. The Cu site preferentially facilitates the dehydrogenation of ethanol at the initial reaction step, and with subsequent Ni metal catalyzes dissociation of the C–C bond in acetaldehyde to form CO and CH4. The Fe phase, which has a tendency to be enrich...