Characterization and Catalytic Properties of the Ni/Al2O3 Catalysts for Aqueous-phase Reforming of Glucose

Two Ni/Al2O3 catalysts with high Ni loadings of 36 wt% and 48 wt%, which possess high activities for aqueous-phase reforming of glucose, have been successfully prepared by a novel two-step impregnation method. The catalytic performance was investigated at 533 K and autogenous pressure in a batch reactor and a significant enhancement in hydrogen yield was observed over the catalyst prepared by two-step impregnation as compared to the corresponding catalyst prepared by conventional single impregnation. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, N-2 adsorption/desorption, H-2 chemisorption, O-2 uptake, TPO, H-2-TPR and TEM. It was found that two-step impregnation yielded catalysts with higher nickel dispersion as well as smaller nickel particle size compared to single impregnation.