Hydrogen production by methanol-steam reforming using Ni-Mo-Cu/γ- alumina trimetallic catalysts

Abstract

Recent attention has focused on steam reforming (SR) of methanol to produce high-purity hydrogen for 'clean' energy applications. Methanol (as a hydrogen carrier) is a renewable and easily accessible energy source that can be produced from biomass and natural gas; the advantages are its availability, high energy density, relative low cost, and easy storage and transportation. In the hydrogen production processes, catalysts play a very critical role for increasing the hydrogen yield and purity as well as reducing by-products. In this study, the thermodynamic parameters of the methanol-SR reaction were evaluated. Several Ni-Mo-Cu/γ-alumina trimetallic catalysts with different compositions were prepared by a wet impregnation method. The hydrogen production efficiency of the catalysts was evaluated for the methanol-SR reaction. Thermodynamic studies of the reaction showed that methanol-SR was an exothermic and spontaneous reaction for all catalysts investigated. Thermodynamic considerations revealed that a catalyst with a composition of 7 wt% Cu, 0.2 wt% Mo and 0.2 wt% Ni was the most reactive catalyst with an enthalpy of - 663.102 kcal. Experimental results showed that the optimum reaction occurred at 548 K and pressure of 3 bar. At these conditions, the production of undesirable by-products such as CO and CO2 was negligible. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.