A mini review on recent progress of steam reforming of ethanol

H-2 is one of the promising renewable energy sources, but its production and transportation remain challenging. Distributed H-2 production using liquid H-2 carriers is one of the ideal ways of H-2 utilization. Among common H-2 carriers, ethanol is promising as it has high H-2 content and can be derived from renewable bio-energy sources such as sucrose, starch compounds, and cellulosic biomass. To generate H-2 from ethanol, steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) is the most common way, while appropriate catalysts, usually supported metal catalysts, are indispensable. However, the SRE process is quite complicated and always accompanied by various undesirable by-products, causing low H-2 yield. Moreover, the catalysts for SRE are easy to deactivate due to sintering and carbon deposition under high reaction temperatures. In recent years, lots of efforts have been made to reveal SRE mechanisms and synthesize catalysts with high H-2 yield and excellent stability. Both active metals and supports play an important role in the reaction. This mini-review summarizes the recent progress of SRE catalysts from the view of the impacts of active metals and supports and draws an outlook for future research directions.

Automated summary

H-2 is a promising renewable energy source, but its production and transportation present difficulties. Distributed H-2 production using liquid H-2 carriers, such as ethanol derived from renewable bio-energy sources, is an ideal way of H-2 utilization. However, the process of steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) for H-2 production is complex, leading to low H-2 yield and catalyst deactivation. This review summarizes recent progress in SRE catalysts and highlights the importance of active metals and supports for achieving high H-2 yield and stability.