Mechanistic Aspects of the Ethanol Steam Reforming Reaction for Hydrogen Production on Pt, Ni, and PtNi Catalysts Supported on γ-Al2O3

Abstract

Mechanistic aspects of ethanol steam reforming on Pt, Ni, and PtNi catalysts supported on gamma-Al(2)O(3) are investigated from the analysis of adsorbed species and gas phase products formed on catalysts during temperature-programmed desorption of ethanol and during ethanol steam reforming reaction. DRIFTS-MS analyses of ethanol decomposition and ethanol steam reforming reactions show that PtNi and Ni catalysts are more stable than the Pt monometallic counterpart. Ethanol TPD results on Ni, Pt, and NiPt catalysts point to ethanol dehydrogenation and acetaldehyde decomposition as the first reaction pathways of ethanol steam reforming over the studied catalysts. The active sites responsible for the acetaldehyde decomposition are easily deactivated in the first minutes on-stream by carbon deposits. For Ni and PtNi catalysts, a second reaction pathway, consisting in the decomposition of acetate intermediates formed over the surface of alumina support, becomes the main reaction pathway operating in steam reforming of ethanol once the acetaldehyde decomposition pathway is deactivated. Taking into account the differences observed in the mechanism of ethanol decomposition, the better stability observed for PtNi catalyst is proposed to be related with a cooperative effect between Pt and Ni activities together with the enhanced ability of Ni to gasify the methyl groups formed by decomposition of acetate species. On the contrary, monometallic catalysts are believed to dehydrogenate these methyl groups forming coke that leads to deactivation of metal particles.