Effect of ethylene glycol functionalization on a CeO2-SiO2 support for Ni catalysts applied in the ethanol steam reforming

MARCELA JARAMILLO BAQUERO; MUNERA JOHN; CORNAGLIA LAURA

Santa Fe

Workshop; French Argentinean Workshop on Heterogeneous Catalysis; 2023

INCAPE

Hydrogen is considered the future energy vector due to its great electricity generation potential. In this context, the steam reforming of ethanol could play a key role due to the multiple advantages, such as low cost, ease of transportation, and the possibility of producing hydrogen in relatively mild conditions, with high efficiency. The increasing interest in the use of hydrogen demands the development of active, stable, and selective catalysts at moderate temperatures (723 K – 873 K). Catalysts based on non-noble metals like Ni are considered an interesting alternative as an active phase in the steam ethanol reforming (SER) reaction since they have high catalytic activity and low cost compared to other metals. Nevertheless, the main cause of deactivation in this catalyst type is carbon deposition. To improve the catalytic properties, it has been suggested to use supports that provide a higher interaction with the active phase, a high specific surface, and promote the oxidation of carbonaceous deposits. Furthermore, it has been reported that increasing the concentration of Si-OH sites by treating silica with ethylene glycol (EG) allows the formation of smaller supported metal particles with high reducibility. Thus, in this work, the EG-modified Ni/CeO2-SiO2(EG) catalyst was synthesized and compared with the unfunctionalized material in the ethanol steam reforming reaction for hydrogen production.