Novel spinel oxide catalysts CuFexAl2−xO4 with high H2 selectivity with low CO generation in methanol steam reforming

Abstract

A series of CuFexAl2−xO4 (0 <x < 2) spinel oxide catalysts are prepared via the sol-gel method for methanol steam reforming (MSR). The CuFexAl2−xO4 catalysts are studied by characterization of XRD, SEM, EDS, XPS, Raman techniques. The influence of Fe doping on the catalytic performance of CuFexAl2−xO4 is studied in-depth. The results show that the catalytic performance of the fresh CuFexAl2−xO4 is better than the reduced one. In addition, proper Fe doping could improve the activity of the catalysts. In the study, CuFe1.2Al0.8O4 showed the best catalytic performance among the CuFexAl2−xO4 (0 <x < 2). With Fe doping, the spinel Cu2+ was move to catalyst surface while partial Fe2+ cations incorporated into the spinel structure. Then the surface structure and micro-Cu environment are changed, which is conducive to the Cu releasing from spinel structure. The selectivity of hydrogen for the developed CuFe1.2Al0.8O4 is more than 99%, and the selectivity of CO is less than 1%.