Effect of Pt on Zn-Free Cu-Al Catalysts for Methanol Steam Reforming to Produce Hydrogen

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Kashan, Kashan, I.R. IRAN

Abstract

Steam reforming of methanol can be considered as an attractive reaction aiming at hydrogen production for PEM fuel cells. Although Cu/Al-contained catalysts are considerably evaluated in this reaction, further evaluation is essential to evaluate the impact of some promoters like Pt in order to find a comprehensively optimized catalyst. Pt promoter is employed with different methods in this study. Firstly, the amount of Cu loading in Cu/Al ratio is optimized via coprecipitation method. The sample containing 30% wt. of Cu exhibits better performance with methanol conversion of 70% and CO selectivity of 0.44%. Besides, impregnating a different amount of Pt onto Al2O3 reveals an inadequate potential for this reaction. In contrary, doping Pt into Cu/Al catalyst increases the methanol conversion as high as 81% and CO selectivity reaches to approximately zero at 270 °C. In addition, using a dual-bed reactor including Cu/Al and Pt/Al2O3 catalyst displays a relatively satisfactory performance by which the conversion and selectivity are found 83.7% and 1.5%, respectively. In this study, analyses of X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and BET surface area are used to characterize the synthesized catalysts. 

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

[1] Ma Y., Guan G., Shi C., Zhu A., Hao X., Wang Z., Wang Z., Kusakabe K., Abudula A., Low-Temperature Steam Reforming of Methanol to Produce Hydrogen over Various Metal-Doped Molybdenum Carbide Catalysts, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 39 (1): 258-66 (2014).
[2] Lee D-W., Park S-J., Yu C-Y., Ihm S-K., Lee K-H., Study on Methanol Reforming–Inorganic Membrane Reactors Combined with Water–Gas Shift Reaction and Relationship between Membrane Performance and Methanol Conversion, J. Membr. Sci., 316(1): 63-72 (2008).
[3] Avcı A.K., Trimm D.L., Aksoylu A.E., Önsan Z.I., Hydrogen Production by Steam Reforming of n-Butane over Supported Ni and Pt-Ni Catalysts, Appl. Catal., A. 258(2): 235-40 (2004).
[4] Galvita V., Sundmacher K., Cyclic Water Gas Shift Reactor (CWGS) for Carbon Monoxide Removal from Hydrogen Feed Gas for PEM Fuel Cells, Chem. Eng. J.. 134(1): 168-74 (2007).
[5] Dönitz W., Fuel Cells for Mobile Applications, Status, Requirements and Future Application Potential, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy. 23(7): 611-5 (1998).
[6] F Brown L., A Comparative Study of Fuels for on-Board Hydrogen Production for Fuel-Cell-Powered Automobiles, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 26(4): 381-97 (2001).
[7] Ogden J.M., Steinbugler M.M., Kreutz T.G., A Comparison of Hydrogen, Methanol and Gasoline as Fuels for Fuel Cell Vehicles: Implications for Vehicle Design and Infrastructure Development,
J. Power Sources. 79(2): 143-68 (1999).
[8] Emonts B., Bøgild Hansen J., Lœgsgaard Jørgensen S., Höhlein B., Peters R., Compact Methanol Reformer Test for Fuel-Cell Powered Light-Duty Vehicles, J. Power Sources., 71(1): 288-93 (1998).
[9] Panik F., Fuel Cells for Vehicle Applications in Cars-Bringing the Future Closer, J. Power Sources., 71(1): 36-8 (1998).
[10] Amphlett J., Mann R., Peppley B., On Board Hydrogen Purification for Steam Reformation/PEM Fuel Cell Vehicle Power Plants, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy., 21(8): 673-8 (1996).
[11] Itoh N., Kaneko Y., Igarashi A., Efficient Hydrogen Production via Methanol Steam Reforming by Preventing Back-Permeation of Hydrogen in a Palladium Membrane Reactor, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 41(19): 4702-6 (2002).
[12] Amphlett J., Creber K., Davis J., Mann R., Peppley B., Stokes D., Hydrogen Production by Steam Reforming of Methanol for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 19(2): 131-7 (1994).
[13] Tsai A., Yoshimura M., Highly Active Quasicrystalline Al-Cu-Fe Catalyst for Steam Reforming of Methanol, Appl. Catal., A., 214(2): 237-41 (2001).
[14] Jiang C.J., Trimm D.L., Wainwright M.S., Cant N.W., Kinetic Mechanism for the Reaction between Methanol and Water over a Cu-ZnO-Al2O3 Catalyst, Appl. Catal., A. 97(2): 145-58 (1993).
[15] Takeguchi T., Kani Y., Inoue M., Eguchi K., Steam Reforming of Methanol on Copper Catalysts Supported on Large-Surface-Area ZnAl2O3, Catal. Lett., 83(1-2): 49-53 (2002).
[16] Chien CL L.M., Three States of Al65Cu20Fe15: Amorphous, Crystalline, and Quasicrystalline, Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter. Mater. Phys., 45 (22): 12793-6 (1992).
[17] Alijani A., Irankhah A., Effect of Nickel Addition on Ceria‐Supported Platinum Catalysts for Medium‐Temperature Shift Reaction in Fuel Processors, Chem. Eng. Technol., 36(2): 552-8 (2013).
[18] Alijani A, Irankhah A. Medium‐Temperature Shift Catalysts for Hydrogen Purification in a Single‐Stage Reactor, Chem. Eng. Technol., 36(2): 209-19 (2013).
[19] Shechtman IAB D., Gratias D., Cahn J.W., Metallic Phase with Long-Range Orientational Order and no Translational Symmetry, Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter. Mater. Phys., 53: 1951 (1984).
[20] Kittel CCK. “Introduction to Solid State Physics”, John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York. (1986).
[21] Sá S., Silva H., Brandão L., Sousa J.M., Mendes A., Catalysts for Methanol Steam Reforming—A Review, Appl. Catal., B. 99(1): 43-57 (2010).
[22] Kawamura Y., Yamamoto K., Ogura N., Katsumata T., Igarashi A., Preparation of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalyst for a Micro Methanol Reformer, J. Power Sources., 150: 20-6 (2005).
[23] Nguyen B., Leclerc C., Metal Oxides as Combustion Catalysts for a Stratified, Dual Bed Partial Oxidation Catalyst, J. Power Sources., 163(2): 623-9 (2007).
[24] Cho S-H., Park J-S., Choi S-H., Kim S-H., Effect of Magnesium on Preferential Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide on Platinum Catalyst in Hydrogen-Rich Stream, J. Power Sources., 156 (2): 260-6 (2006).
[25] Brown J.C., Gulari E., Hydrogen Production from Methanol Decomposition over Pt/Al2O3 and Ceria Promoted Pt/Al2O3 Catalysts, Catal. Commun., 5(8): 431-6 (2004).
[26] Ito S-i., Suwa Y., Kondo S., Kameoka S., Tomishige K., Kunimori K., Steam Reforming of Methanol over Pt–Zn alloy Catalyst Supported on Carbon Black, Catal. Commun., 4(10): 499-503 (2003).
[27] Irankhah A., Jafari M., Mahmoudizadeh M., Methanol Steam Reforming Catalyzing over Cu/Zn/Fe Mixed Oxide Catalysts, Iran. J. Chem. Eng., 14(1): 26-39 (2017).
[28] Ahn S.H., Kwon O.J., Choi I., Kim J.J., Synergetic Effect of Combined use of Cu–ZnO–Al2O3 and Pt–Al2O3 for the Steam Reforming of Methanol, Catal. Commun., 10 (15): 2018-22 (2009).
[29] Conant T., Karim A.M., Lebarbier V., Wang Y., Girgsdies F., Schlögl R., et al. Stability of Bimetallic Pd–Zn Catalysts for the Steam Reforming of Methanol, J. Catal., 257(1): 64-70 (2008).
[30] Bichon P., Asheim M., Jordal A., Sperle T., Fathi M., Holmen A., Blekkan E.A., Hydrogen from Methanol Steam-Reforming over Cu-Based Catalysts with and without Pd Promotion, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy., 32(12): 1799-805 (2007).
 [31] Chang C-C., Hsu C-C., Chang C-T., Chen Y-P., Liaw B-J., Chen Y-Z., Effect of Noble Metal
on Oxidative Steam Reforming of Methanol over CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalysts, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 37(15): 11176-84 (2012).
[32] Turco M., Bagnasco G., Costantino U., Marmottini F., Montanari T., Ramis G., Busca G., Production of Hydrogen from Oxidative Steam Reforming of Methanol: I. Preparation and Characterization of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalysts from a Hydrotalcite-Like LDH Precursor, J. Catal., 228(1): 43-55 (2004).
[33] Jacobs G., Davis B.H., In situ DRIFTS Investigation of the Steam Reforming of Methanol over Pt/Ceria, Appl. Catal., A. 285(1): 43-9 (2005).
Iranian Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Volume 37, Issue 4 - Serial Number 90
July and August 2018
Pages 93-100

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics