Robust Mesh-type structured CuFeMg/γ-Al2O3/Al catalyst for methanol steam reforming in microreactors

Abstract

Utilizing a compact, efficient and fast-response reactor for on-site reforming of liquid methanol is an effective method to solve the storage and transportation problems of hydrogen. In this paper, a mesh-type structured CuFeMg/γ-Al2O3/Al catalyst with strong bonding force was prepared by anodic oxidation method, and its intrinsic catalytic activity, hydrogen production capacity and start-up performance were compared with commercial granular catalyst in a plate microreactor. The results showed that although the mesh-type structured catalyst displayed lower intrinsic activity, it exhibited higher methanol conversion, which was because of the enhanced mass transfer ability. Overall, for the mesh-type structured catalyst, 27.1% higher hydrogen production capacity per unit volume was achieved when methanol conversion was 90%, and the reactor start-up time was reduced by 16.1% owing to the high thermal conductivity of the aluminum substrate. Moreover, the mesh-type structured catalyst also showed excellent stability in 160 h test.