Sustainable nickel catalyst for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to H2-rich gas

The objective of this paper was to design sustainable nickel catalysts supported on selected fly ash based zeolites to thermal processing of lignocellulosic feedstock towards hydrogen rich gas. Moreover, in order to increase its catalytic performance in the studied process the catalyst supported on the most promising fly ash based zeolite was modified by selected rare-earth and transition metals (La, Pr, Ce, Y, Gd, Zr). The performed measurements exhibited that incorporation of nickel into the structure of zeolite A modified by lanthanum resulted in the most effective production of H-2. The characterization of its physicochemical properties (XRD, TPR, SEM-EDS, TPD-NH3, BET and TGA-DTA) suggested that large pore size, moderate acidity, increased reducibility of an active phase and higher resistance to coke formation are the main factors responsible for increased activity of this catalyst. (c) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study aimed to design sustainable nickel catalysts supported on selected fly ash based zeolites for thermal processing of lignocellulosic feedstock towards hydrogen rich gas. Incorporation of nickel into the structure of zeolite A modified by lanthanum was found to be the most effective method for H2 production. The physicochemical properties of the catalyst played a key role in enhancing its activity.