(621p) Hydrogen Production Via Glycerol Steam Reforming Reaction over Co-Ni-MgO-SBA-15 Catalysts

Hydrogen is a renewable, clean energy source considered to be promising for future energy and environmental security. As a sustainable source of H₂, glycerol is an attractive and abundant feedstock. Implementing glycerol steam reforming (GSR) is crucial for the biodiesel industry to utilize and add value to their glycerol by-product. Therefore, production of hydrogen from glycerol is both economically and environmentally important. However, there are still some challenges in GSR, which include the catalyst deactivation due to coke deposition, sintering at high temperature and controlling the product selectivity. In the present work, a series of Ni and Co based novel catalysts, namely, 15%Co-SBA-15, 15%Ni-SBA-15, 10%Co-5%MgO-SBA-15, 10%Ni-5%MgO-SBA-15, 10%Co-5%Ni-SBA-15 have been prepared to study the effect of metal (Co/Ni/Co-Ni) type, Mg promotion and synthesis method (one-pot vs. incipient wetness) on GRS activity, selectivity and long term stability. The catalysts were characterized using TGA-DSC, N₂ adsorption-desorption, XRD, TEM, FTIR and H₂-TPR techniques. Catalysts possess high surface area in the range of 540-750 m²/g and pore sizes of 4.8 -5.9 nm, depending on the type of metal and its loading. The reforming results revealed that Co based catalysts were more active compared to that of Ni. For example, at 650 °C, while 15%Co-SBA-15 exhibited ~96% glycerol conversion, it was observed to be ~85% for 15%Ni-SBA-15. The addition of MgO to Co-SBA-15 catalyst did not affect its performance, while its addition to Ni-SBA-15 showed significant decrease in catalyst’s activity. The highlights of these studies will be presented.