Synthesis and evaluation of pyrolysis waste peat char supported catalyst for steam reforming of toluene

Abstract

Pyrolytic char as a catalyst carrier has been widely used in tar removal. This paper aimed to develop a cost-effective and eco-friendly tar steam reforming approach by using waste peat char supported Ca catalysts in a laboratory dual-stage reactor. Tar model compound toluene was used in steam reforming experiment for facilitate fundamental research. The reaction temperature, residence time, steam-to-carbon ratio and the molar ratios of H2, CO, CO2 and CH4 in the generated gas were investigated. Experimental results show that the peat char supported Ca catalysts had good selectivity for H2, especially the catalyst which activated by KOH and CO2. The catalyst demonstrated better catalytic activity with a higher residence time (0.6 s–0.7 s) and S/C ratio (S/C > 2.5). Under the optimized conditions, the toluene conversion and the mol% of H2 can reached 94.4% and 68.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, the activity of the catalyst was proved by a variety of performance tests, and the deactivation and mechanism of catalysts were investigated. Finally, these cost-effective and green peat char-supported Ca catalysts could be used for tar removal.