Synthesis and Activity Test of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 for the Methanol Steam Reforming as a Fuel Cell’s Hydrogen Supplier
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5614/itbj.eng.sci.2009.41.1.3Abstract
The synthesis of hydrogen from hydrocarbons through the steam reforming of methanol on Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst has been investigated. This process is assigned to be one of the promising alternatives for fuel cell hydrogen process source. Hydrogen synthesis from methanol can be carried out by means of methanol steam reforming which is a gas phase catalytic reaction between methanol and water. In this research, the Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst prepared by the dry impregnation was used. The specific surface area of catalyst was 194.69 m2/gram.The methanol steam reforming (SRM) reaction was carried out by means of the injection of gas mixture containing methanol and water with 1:1.2 mol ratio and 20-90 mL/minute feed flow rate to a fixed bed reactor loaded by 1 g of catalyst. The reaction temperature was 200-300 C, and the reactor pressure was 1 atm. Preceding the reaction, catalyst was reduced in the H2/N2 mixture at 160 C. This study shows that at 300 C reaction temperature, methanol conversion reached 100% at 28 mL/minute gas flow rate. This conversion decreased significantly with the increase of gas flow rate. Meanwhile, the catalyst prepared for SRM was stable in 36 hours of operation at 260 C. The catalyst exhibited a good stability although the reaction condition was shifted to a higher gas flow rate.
Downloads
References
Agrell, J., Birgersson, Boutonnet, M., Melian-Cabrera, I., Navaro, R.M., Fierro, J.L.G., Production of hydrogen from methanol over Cu/ZnO catalysts promoted by ZrO2 and Al2O3,Journal of Catalysis, 219, pp. 389-403, 2003.
Shisido, T., Yamamoto, Y., Morioka, H., Takaki, K., Takehira, K., Active Cu/ZnO and Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts prepared by homogeneous precipitation method in steam reforming of methanol, Applied Catalysis A: General, 263, pp. 249-253, 2004.
Purnama, H., Catalytic Study of Copper based Catalysts for Steam Reforming of Methanol, Universitat Berlin, pp. 10-19, 2003.
Purnama, H, T. Ressler, R.E. Jentoft, H. Soerijanto, R. Schlgl, R. Schomacker, CO Formation/Selectivity for Steam Reforming of Methanol with a Commercial CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalyst, Applied Catalysis A: General, 259, pp. 83-94, 2004.
Janitra, E.S. & Sianturi, S.B.G., Synthesis and Activity Test of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalyst for SRM, Research Report, ITB, 2007.
Hutagalung, M.J. & Hidayat, W., Synthesis, Activity Test and Stability Test of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalyst for Methanol Steam Reforming, Research Report, ITB, 2008.
Shen, J.P., Song, C., Influence of preparation method on performance of Cu/Zn-based catalyst for low-temperature steam reforming and oxidative steam reforming of methanol for H2 production for fuel cells, Catalysis Today 77, 89-98, 2002.
Suzuki, A., Subramani, V., Osaki, T., Catalysts for Oxidative Steam Reforming of Methanol as a New and Efficient Method for the Selective Production of Hydrogen for Fuel cells and Their Synthesis Method, United States Patents No.7,025,947, 1-8, 2005.
Yaakob, Z., Mahmud, M.S., Daud, W.R.W, Mohamad, A.B., Cu-Zn-Al-V Catalyst for Hydrogen Production From Methanol Reforming, Proceedings International Hydrogen Energy Congress and Exhibition IHEC 2005, 2005.
Turco, M., Bagnasco, G., Costantino, U., Marmottini, F., Montanari, T., Ramis, G., Busca, G., Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts for oxidative steam reforming of methanol: The role of Cu and the dispersing oxide matrix, Applied Catalysis A: General, 77, 46-57, 2007.