Producing hydrogen by catalytic steam reforming of methanol using non-noble metal catalysts

Current energy systems have a significant environmental impact and contribute to the climate change. The future energy systems must call upon clean and renewable sources, capable of producing energy with low CO2 emission, hence partly decarbonizing the energy sector. Producing H-2 by catalytic steam reforming of methanol (CSRM) is gaining interest for its specific applications in fuel cells, in a decentralized H-2 production, or to locally boost the heat content of e.g. natural gas. Supported metal catalysts enhance the endothermic steam-driven methanol conversion. The paper discusses the CSRM manufactures and assesses 2 novel, cheap and efficient catalysts (Co/alpha-Al2O3 and MnFe2O4). The performance of the Co/alpha-Al2O3 catalyst is significantly superior to MnFe2O4. The methanol conversion exceeds 95% with high H-2 yields (> 2.5 mol H-2/mol CH3OH) and low CO and CO2 by-product formation. The methanol reaction is very fast and a nearly constant product distribution is achieved for gas-catalyst contact times in excess of 0.3 s. The catalyst maintains its efficiency and selectivity for several days of reaction. The hydrogen productivity of the Co/alpha-Al2O3 is about 0.9 L H(2 )g(cat)(-1) h(-1)., nearly a fourfold of the MnFe2O4 alternative. The different occurring reactions are combined in a kinetics analysis and demonstrate the high rate of reaction and the predicted product distribution. A catalytic sintered metal fleece reactor is finally developed, mostly in view of its integration with a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The assessed CSRM system clearly merits further pilot plant research.

Automated summary

Current energy systems have a significant environmental impact and future energy systems must rely on clean and renewable sources. This study discusses the catalytic steam reforming of methanol (CSRM) for H-2 production and assesses the performance of two novel catalysts. The results show that the Co/alpha-Al2O3 catalyst has significantly better performance than MnFe2O4, with high methanol conversion, H-2 yield and low CO and CO2 by-products formation. This research is important for further investigation and application of the CSRM system.