Ru/La2O3–SiO2 catalysts for hydrogen production in membrane reactors

-B. FAROLDI, E.A. LOMBARDO, L.M. CORNAGLIA

CATALYSIS TODAY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2011 vol. 172 p. 209 - 217

0920-5861

Binary La2O3–SiO2 supports were employed to obtain active, stable Ru catalysts with high dispersions for the dry reforming of methane. Supports with 15, 27, 40 and 50 wt.% of La2O3 were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of La(NO3)3 on SiO2. The Ru loading was 0.6 wt.% for all catalysts. The solids were evaluated in a fixed-bed reactor under differential conditions. Previously, they were reduced at 550 ◦C. All the formulations were stable for at least 100 h on stream. Subsequently, the most active catalyst (Ru/La2O3(50)–SiO2) was tested in a membrane reactor using different feed mixtures with and without O2. The reactor configuration was formed by a fixed-bed reactor followed by a membrane reactor. The methane conversion increased when the CO2/CH4 ratio increased from 1.0 to 1.9 and when oxygen was added to the feed. Operating under conditions of combined reforming (oxygen addition) and CO2/CH4 ratio equal to 1, a high production of hydrogen was also achieved in the membrane reactor.