Ca-Modified Co/SBA-15 Catalysts for Hydrogen Production through Ethanol Steam Reforming

Abstract

Hydrogen production through steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) over the Ca-modified Co/SBA-15 catalysts was studied herein to evaluate the catalytic activity, stability and the behavior of coke deposition. The Ca-modified SBA-15 supports were prepared from the Ca(NO3)2·4H2O (10 wt%) which was incorporated to SBA-15 by incipient wetness impregnation (assigned as Ca/SBA-15) and direct hydrothermal (assigned as Ca-SBA-15) method. The active cobalt species from the Co(NO3)2·6H2O (10 wt%) was loaded to SiO2, SBA-15 and modified-SBA-15 supports with incipient wetness impregnation method to obtain the cobalt catalysts (named as Co/SiO2, Co/SBA-15, Co-Ca/SBA-15 and Co/Ca-SBA-15, respectively). The prepared catalysts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed reduction (TPR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and BET. The catalytic performance of the SRE reaction was evaluated in a fixed-bed reactor. The results indicated that the Co/Ca-SBA-15 catalyst was preferential among these catalysts and the ethanol can be converted completely at 375 °C. The hydrogen yield (YH2) approached 4.76 at 500 °C and less coke deposited. Further, the long-term stability test of this catalyst approached 100 h at 500 °C and did not deactivate.