Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2011, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (03): 697-704.doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB20110309

• CATALYSIS AND SURFACE SCIENCE • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Mechanism of Biogas Reforming for Hydrogen Production over Ni-Co Bimetallic Catalyst

XU Jun-Ke1,2, SHEN Li-Hong2, ZHOU Wei1,3, MA Jian-Xin1,3   

  1. 1. Clean Energy Automotive Engineering Center, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, P. R. China;
    2. Shanghai Baoshan Environmental Monitoring Station, Shanghai 201901, P. R. China;
    3. School of Automotive Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, P. R. China
  • Received:2010-09-27 Revised:2010-11-22 Published:2011-03-03
  • Contact: MA Jian-Xin E-mail:jxma@tongji.edu.cn
  • Supported by:

    The project was supported by the Key Project of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2007DFC61690) and Henkel Professorship of Tongji University, China (081591).

Abstract:

Ni-Co bimetallic catalysts supported on commercial γ-Al2O3 modified with La2O3 were prepared by conventional incipient wetness impregnation for biogas reforming. The catalysts were characterized using temperature-programmed hydrogenation (TPH), temperature-programmed oxygenation (TPO), temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and a pulse experiment. During biogas reforming the surface carbon species on Ni-Co/La2O3-γ-Al2O3 originated mainly from the cracking of CH4 and the contribution of CO2 was insignificant. Cracking of CH4 results in three carbon species of Cα, Cβ, and Cγ, which have different reaction activities. During the reaction, the amount of Cα decreased but Cβ and Cγ increased. In addition, Cγ could be changed into inactive graphite carbon. The activation of CH4 and CO2 was mutually promoted in the reforming reaction. It was revealed that the controlling step for biogas reforming over the Ni-Co/La2O3-γ-Al2O3 catalyst could be the reaction of the surface species of O with C to form CO or with CHx to give CHxO followed by the formation of CO and adsorbed H.

Key words: Nickel, Cobalt, Bimetallic catalyst, Biogas reforming, Hydrogen production, Mechanism