Ni/MOFs-derived α-MoO3 catalyst for renewable hydrogen production and treatment of biogas slurry by aqueous-phase reforming

Abstract

In the study, carbon layer decorated MOFs-derived α-MoO3 with the doping Ni species (Ni/MOFs-derived α-MoO3) catalyst was synthesized. The catalyst was used to simultaneously produce renewable hydrogen and treat biogas slurry (BS) by aqueous-phase reforming (APR). The water quality of BS including pH, inorganic, and organic compounds due to the effect of fermentation time was investigated for the APR. Characterization results confirmed that the van der Waals heterostructures, morphologies, acid-base, and redox properties of the catalyst were optimized, which significantly improved the specific surface area (3.68 times) and decreased the total acidity from 54.22 to 25.76 μmol/g and thus facilitated the APR. Meanwhile, the pH, organic load, and salinity of BS changed with fermentation time, affecting hydrogen production and pollutant removal. This afforded the optimal catalytic performance of hydrogen production, reaching up to 0.38 mLhydrogen/mLBS when the BS obtained from fermentation at 21 days was treated. It is hoped that these findings could offer a viable technology to treat wastewater and realize the high added value of BS.