Hydrogen production by ethanol steam reforming: A study of Co- and Ce-based catalysts over FeCrAlloy monoliths

Abstract

Co- and Ce-based structured catalysts deposited on FeCrAlloy monoliths have been prepared. A new two-step strategy for coating the monolith is used: (i) first, a MgAl2O4 spinel layer is generated on the FeCrAlloy substrate, and (ii) then, Co and Ce are incorporated in two different molar ratios by the conventional wet impregnation method. The spinel layer is formed from a solution of colloidal alumina and Mg(NO3)2, with an apparent viscosity of around 3300 mPa s. The results indicate that a homogeneous spinel coating with excellent adherence is obtained after two immersions and a calcination at 700 °C. Both structured catalysts are active in the steam reforming of ethanol at 650 °C. The system with a Co/Ce molar ratio of 3.7 exhibits the best performance with a high stability. A complete ethanol conversion and a hydrogen selectivity of around 95% are obtained in two reaction cycles of 36 h each with intermediate regeneration.