Kinetics and Reactor Modeling of Hydrogen Production from Glycerol via Steam Reforming Process over Ni/CeO2 Catalysts

As a result of skyrocketing prices, environmental concerns and depletion associated with fossil fuels, renewable fuels are becoming attractive alternatives. In this respect, the demand for biodiesel has increased tremendously in recent years. Increased production of biodiesel has resulted in a glut of glycerol that has reduced the demand for this once valuable commodity. Consequently, finding alternative uses for glycerol is a timely proposition. One alternative is producing renewable hydrogen from this cheap commodity. Only a handful of studies have been conducted on producing hydrogen from glycerol. Previous studies have mainly focused on finding effective catalysts for glycerol steam reforming. This paper extends previous knowledge by presenting kinetic parameters in relation to glycerol steam reforming over Ni/CeO2 and a reactor modeling. The study found that the activation energy and the reaction order for the glycerol steam reforming reaction over Ni/CeO2 catalyst were 103.4 kJ/mol and 0.233, respectively.