Reduction of Nickel Oxide with Ethanol

Abstract

This work aims to investigate the reduction behavior of NiO powder by ethanol vapor at 600–1100 K for the reaction times up to 60 min. The products were characterized by mass measurement, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The reaction of NiO with ethanol essentially consisted of oxide reduction followed by C deposition. At 600 K, significant oxide reduction was attained. Full oxide reduction was observed at 650–1100 K within 10–15 min. At this temperature range, the reduction reaction was controlled by external mass transfer of gaseous species. At the lower temperature range 600–650 K, the reduction rate was sensitive to the temperature change and influenced by the total gas flow rate to a lesser degree. The temperature dependence of C uptake was explained by Boudouard reaction. The results of this study demonstrate that NiO can be completely reduced to Ni by ethanol as predicted by the thermodynamic analysis.