A study to initiate development of sustainable Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalyst for hydrogen production from steam reforming of biomass-derived glycerol

Abstract

Glycerol steam reforming, which is a potential technology for hydrogen production in fuel-cell applications, is of great interest to researchers in recent years. Using aqueous glycerol, which is a byproduct in biodiesel production, as a direct feed for steam reforming is a promising method to produce hydrogen. Ni (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 wt%) loaded on commercial γ-Al₂O₃ by the impregnation method is used to study steam reforming of glycerol. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, EDAX, BET surface area, TPR, NH₃-TPD, TEM, CHNS and Raman techniques. The catalysts are evaluated on time streams for the effect of Ni loading, temperature, and glycerol-to-water mole ratio (GWMRs). Under the parameters investigated, 15 wt% Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ was found to be the most promising catalyst in terms of glycerol conversion and hydrogen production with minimum coking. The characterization of the catalysts clearly establishes that interaction of Ni²⁺ with γ-Al₂O₃ support, Ni²⁺ reducibility, particle size, and acidity of the support are seen governing the stable activity of the catalysts. Thus, a structural activity correlation has been established on the Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts.