Hydrogen Production via Chemical Looping Steam Reforming in a Periodically Operated Fixed-Bed Reactor

Chemical-looping steam reforming (CLSR) is a chemical-looping combustion (CLC) derived technology in which air is replaced by steam as oxidant. CLSR combines the inherent CO2 capture of CLC with the production of PEMFC-ready hydrogen streams without further purification steps. CLSR thus results in strong process intensification in hydrogen production. Here, we present results from a proof-of-concept study of CLSR of synthesis gas which combines thermodynamic screening for carrier selection, with synthesis and reactive test of highly active and high-temperature stable nanostructured oxygen carriers, and a reactor modeling study in order to demonstrate the feasibility of CLSR in a periodically operated fixed-bed reactor.