Characteristics and catalytic properties of Ni/CaAlOₓ catalyst for hydrogen-enriched syngas production from pyrolysis-steam reforming of biomass sawdust

Chen, Fangyuan; Wu, Chunfei; Dong, Lisha; Vassallo, Anthony; Williams, Paul T.; Huang, Jun

Abstract

The production of hydrogen-enriched syngas from the thermo-chemical conversion of biomass was studied using Ni/CaAlOₓ catalysts prepared by co-precipitation method. The effect of Ca addition with different molar ratios of Ca:Al (1:3, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1) on the properties and catalytic behaviour in relation to syngas production and the coke formation on the surface of the catalysts were investigated. Catalysts were characterized by BET, XRD, TPR, SEM, and TEM. The SEM and TEM results showed that rod-shaped nano-particles were highly dispersed on the surface of the catalyst. The particle size of NiO was slightly affected with the increase of Ca content in the catalyst. It appeared that the selectivity of CO was increased and the selectivity of CO₂ was reduced with the increase of Ca addition to the catalyst. For example, CO₂ concentration was reduced from 20 to 12 Vol.%, when the molar ratio of Ca/Al was increased from 1:3 to 3:1 for the Ni/CaAlOₓ catalyst; it is suggested that the water gas shift reaction was inhibited and CO₂ reforming reactions were promoted in the presence of the catalyst with higher Ca content. The CO/H₂ molar ratio could be manipulated by changing the Ca content in the catalyst, while the H₂ concentration remained almost constant (around 45 Vol.%). Thus, using the Ni/CaAlOₓ catalyst developed in this work could provide a promising route to control the syngas composition, which is an important factor for syngas applications.

Citation

Chen, F., Wu, C., Dong, L., Vassallo, A., Williams, P. T., & Huang, J. (2016). Characteristics and catalytic properties of Ni/CaAlOₓ catalyst for hydrogen-enriched syngas production from pyrolysis-steam reforming of biomass sawdust. Applied catalysis. B, Environmental, 183, 168-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2015.10.028

• Acceptance Date: Oct 12, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Oct 23, 2015
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Nov 19, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 23, 2017
• Journal: Applied catalysis B : environmental
• Print ISSN: 0926-3373
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 183
• Pages: 168-175
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2015.10.028
• Keywords: Process Chemistry and Technology; General Environmental Science; Catalysis
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/381685
• Publisher URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092633731530206X
• Additional Information: Authors' accepted manuscript of article published in: Applied catalysis B : environmental, 2016, v.183.