Steam reforming of acetic acid over Ni-based catalysts derived from La1 - xCaxNiO3 perovskite type oxides

Ni/CaO-La2O3 catalysts generated by in situ reduction of La1-xCaxNiO3 perovskite systems (x = 0; 0.15; 0.30 and 0.50) were prepared and evaluated in steam reforming of acetic acid under steady state conditions. The objective of this work was to study the effect of calcium content towards activity and syngas formation in such catalytic systems. The catalytic materials were characterized by in situ X-ray diffraction and temperature programmed reduction. The catalytic activity was evaluated in a packed bed reactor in a temperature range from 400 to 700 degrees C for LaNiO3 reduced samples and at 600 degrees C for the La1-xCaxNiO3 reduced precursors. The tests indicated that the presence of calcium oxide directly promotes hydrogen formation, by permitting a greater amount of water to be converted and limits the occurrence of ketonization.