Regeneration of NiAl2O4 spinel type catalysts used in the reforming of raw bio-oil

The regenerability of Ni catalysts in reforming reactions is a key factor for process viability. Accordingly, this study addresses the regeneration of two spinel NiAl2O4 type catalysts by reaction-regeneration cycles in the oxidative steam reforming (OSR) of raw bio-oil. The spinel type catalysts were prepared by different methods including a supported Ni/La2O3-alpha Al2O3 catalyst and a bulk NiAl2O4 catalyst. The experimental set-up consists of two units connected in series for i) the thermal treatment of bio-oil at 500 degrees C, in order to control the deposition of pyrolytic lignin, followed by; ii) the oxidative steam reforming (OSR) of the remaining oxygenates in a fluidized bed catalytic reactor. The conditions in the OSR reaction step were: 700 degrees C; oxygen/steam/carbon ratio (O/S/C), 0.34/6/1; space time, 0.75 g(catalyst)h/g(bio-oil) (for supported catalyst) and 0.15 g(catalyst)h/g(bio-oil) (for bulk catalyst). Three different strategies have been studied in the regeneration step by coke combustion, including the in situ regeneration inside the reactor at 650 degrees C and 850 degrees C, and the ex situ regeneration in an external oven at 850 degrees C, for 4 h in all the cases. The behavior of the fresh and regenerated catalysts has been explained according to their metallic properties, determined by different characterization techniques (temperature programmed reduction (TPR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM)). According to these results, the combustion ex situ of the catalyst at 850 degrees C is able to completely regenerate the bulk catalyst, since these regeneration conditions lead to the total recovery of the NiAl2O4 spinel phase together with negligible loss of Ni on the surface in the catalyst. These novel results are crucial for future industrial implementation of the process.