Steam reforming of methanol (SRM) was investigated over Cu/ZrO 2 /CeO 2 (CZC) catalysts prepared via a novel synthetic method based on coprecipitation and polymer templating. Structural characterization of the samples was performed by N 2 adsorption-desorption, N 2 O decomposition, and X-ray diffraction. The variation of the Cu loading resulted in an increased Cu crystallite size and a decreased specific surface area of the active particles. Catalytic investigations were carried out in a fixed bed reactor at 10 5 Pa, by applying a CH 3 OH:H 2 O = 1:1 ratio. The samples with Cu contents higher than 5 % exhibited good long-term stabilities and low CO levels during continuous operation. The kinetic model suggested for the transformation involved the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) and methanol decomposition (MD), in addition to the SRM reaction. Kinetic measurements were accomplished in the temperature range 503-573 K and the experimental results could be well simulated. The highest methanol conversions and the lowest CO levels were observed in the temperature range 523-543 K. The apparent activation energies for the individual reactions were found to depend on the Cu content of the catalyst. Since the influence of mass transport limitations on the kinetic data could be excluded, it was established that the variation of the Cu concentration in the precursor material altered the microstructure of the Cu particles and, accordingly, the active Cu surface, which resulted in the formation of significantly different catalysts.Keywords: steam reforming of methanol, copper, zirconia, ceria, N 2 O chemisorption, long term stability, CO formation, kinetic model, reverse water-gas shift reaction, methanol decomposition, activation energy
1.IntroductionIn the past decade, considerable attention has been focused on the reduction of the significant emissions originating from mobile sources, such as internal combustion engines [1][2][3][4]. For environmental reasons, the development of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) has gained in increasing importance [5,6]. As compared with conventional heat engines, several advantages of fuel cell application have been established, including a higher efficiency and a more convenient operation, the absence of moving parts and the low emission of hazardous compounds [1,5]. The combustion of hydrogen in a fuel cell is regarded as a clean process, releasing energy and providing only water as an exhaust material [4,7,8]. However, hydrogen is not a natural energy source and must be generated by consuming a large amount of energy, either from natural gas or via the electrolysis of water [4]. Furthermore, for a fuel cell vehicle, the storage and the supply of hydrogen, a volatile and explosive gas, imposes mechanical problems and safety hazards on a commercial level [1,4,8].Several liquid fuel candidates have been discussed for on-board reforming, including methanol, ethanol, gasoline and diesel [1], of which methanol is considered the most favourable alternative [1,9]. Although mo...