Production of hydrogen-rich gas by formic acid decomposition over CuO-CeO2/γ-Al2O3 catalyst

Abstract

Formic acid decomposition to H2-rich gas was investigated over a CuO-CeO2/γ-Al2O3 catalyst. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, HR TEM and EDX methods. A 100% conversion of formic acid was observed over the copper-ceria catalyst under ambient pressure, at 200–300 ◦C, N2:HCOOH = 75:25 vol.% and flow rate 3500–35,000 h−1 with H2 yield of 98%, wherein outlet CO concentration is below the equilibrium data (<0.5 vol.%). The copper-ceria catalyst proved to be promising for multifuel processor application, and the H2 generation from dimethoxymethane, methanol, dimethyl ether and formic acid on the same catalyst for fuel cell supply.