Effect of Zirconium Addition on Cu/Si Catalyst for Methanol Steam Reforming to Produce Hydrogen

Abstract The effects of various amounts of zirconium on the catalytic performance of copper‐based catalysts for methanol steam reforming to produce hydrogen were investigated. The correlation between catalyst structure and performance was analyzed using characterization techniques such as SEM, XRD, BET, H 2 ‐TPR, and XPS. The results showed that the Cu/Si catalyst modified with Zr had a larger specific surface area and stronger interaction between CuO, carrier, and Zr, exhibiting better catalytic activity. Additionally, when the zirconium content was 5.6 wt%, the catalyst showed higher Cu dispersion, lower CuO reduction temperature, and accelerated the electron transfer between Cu and Zr, which was conducive to the formation of more active Cu + species. The methanol conversion reached 100% at a reaction temperature of 270 °C and a molar ratio of water to alcohol of 1.5, while the CO selectivity was only 0.74%.