Hydrogen Production from Ethanol Steam Reforming Using Ce- and La- Modified Mesoporous MCM-41 Supported Nickel-Based Catalysts

Abstract Mesoporous MCM-41 containing different amounts of nickel (10, 15 and 20 wt%) and Ce and/or La promoters were prepared by hydrothermal and wet-impregnation methods. The catalysts were characterized by means of temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), N 2 adsorption-desorption, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric (TGA) analyses. Then, the catalysts were tested for hydrogen production via steam reforming of ethanol in a fixed bed reactor. Hydrogen selectivity and ethanol conversion over Ni/MCM-41 catalyst were 69.6 % and 94 %, respectively. The best catalytic results were obtained with Ce-Ni/MCM-41 catalyst, i. e. 94 % ethanol conversion and 76.5 % hydrogen selectivity. These results remained constant about 90 h time on stream and ethanol conversion decreased to 87 % after 120 h.