Influence of the CeO2 and Nb2O5 supports and the inert gas in ethanol steam reforming for H2 production

Journal Reference

Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 273,  2015, Pages 66-74.

Isabela Dancini-Pontes1, Marcos DeSouza1, Fernando Alves Silva1, Mara Heloisa Neves Olsen Scaliante1, Christian Gonçalves Alonso2, Giselly S. Bianchi3, Antônio Medina Neto3, Guilherme Mirada Pereira4, Nádia Regina Camargo Fernandes-Machado1

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  1. Departamento de Engenharia Química, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, 87020-900 Maringá, Brazil
  2. Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Campus II Samambaia – Bloco IQ 1, Goiânia, Brazil
  3. Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, 87020-900 Maringá, Brazil
  4. Departamento de Química, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, 87020-900 Maringá, Brazil
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Abstract

The increasing importance of environmentally friendly processes leads to science in search of new technologies, like the generation of electrical power from hydrogen in fuel cells. Thus, a good alternative for producing hydrogen is ethanol steam reforming, since ethanol comes from a renewable resource. Hydrogen production from ethanol steam reforming was evaluated for the CuNi/CeO2 and CuNi/Nb2O5–Na catalysts with and without nitrogen as the carrier gas. For the catalyst supported in ceria, the presence of inert favored the steam reforming reaction with a small increased in the conversion of ethanol. Additionally, the reduction ability of ceria, in the conditions tested, enabled the formation of acetone through the interaction of molecules with the support. For Nb2O5supported catalyst, the presence of inert showed lower conversion. It happened because filamentous coke the drag with some metal particles, and higher selectivity to H2. Coke formation was observed for both catalysts, but only CuNi/Nb2O5–Na presented sintering. The catalysts presented distinct behaviors, due to their markedly different support characteristics. The presence of N2 in the reactional system influences expressively the distribution of products and the ethanol conversion for both catalysts tested. The carrier gas can favor the selectivity of H2 and the ethanol steam reforming reaction, depending on the support used.

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