In Situ Reduction of a CuO/ZnO/CeO2/ZrO2 Catalyst Washcoat Supported on Al2O3 Foam Ceramic by Glycerol for Methanol Steam Reforming in a Microreactor

A CuO/ZnO/CeO2/ZrO2 catalyst slurry was prepared by mixing the catalyst powder, a polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution, and glycerol. The slurry was coated on a Al2O3 foam ceramic support via a dip-coating method. The conventional prereduction treatment of a Cu-based catalyst by H-2 was replaced by in situ reduction of the catalyst by glycerol at a low temperature of 220 degrees C during the loading process, thus the integration of catalyst loading and reduction was achieved. The effects of the glycerol/catalyst weight ratio and the deposition number on the physicochemical properties of the prepared catalyst and the washcoat were systematically investigated. Results showed that the optimal glycerol/catalyst weight ratio led to a complete reduction of CuO with a small amount of residual carbon. A methanol steam reforming microreactor with the Al2O3 ceramic support prepared under an appropriate deposition number exhibited a 94% methanol conversion rate and a 0.15 mol/h H-2 yield at 360 degrees C.

Automated summary

A CuO/ZnO/CeO2/ZrO2 catalyst slurry was prepared by mixing the catalyst powder, a polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution, and glycerol. The catalyst was in situ reduced by glycerol during the loading process, leading to the integration of catalyst loading and reduction. The prepared catalyst showed excellent performance in methanol steam reforming with a high methanol conversion rate and hydrogen yield.