Methanol aqueous-phase reforming

Shabaker, J. W. Davda, R. R. Huber, G. W. Cortright, R. D. Dumesic, J. A., Aqueous-phase reforming of methanol and ethylene glycol over alumina-supported platinum catalysts. Journal of Catalysis 2003, 215, 344. 

Aqueous phase reforming of glycerol in several studies by Dumesic and co-workers has been reported [270, 275, 277, 282, 289, 292, 294, 319]. The first catalysts that they reported were platinum-based materials which operate at relatively moderate temperatures (220-280 °C) and pressures that prevent steam formation. Catalyst performances are stable for a long period. The gas stream contains low levels of CO, while the major reaction intermediates detected in the liquid phase include ethanol, 1,2-pro-panediol, methanol, 1-propanol, propionic acid, acetone, propionaldehyde and lactic acid. Novel tin-promoted Raney nickel catalysts were subsequently developed. The catalytic performance of these non-precious metal catalysts is comparable to that of more costly platinum-based systems for the production of hydrogen from glycerol. 

Scheme 8 Aqueous-phase reforming of methanol involving three dehydrogenation steps...

A block diagram of the FP integrated with FC is presented in Figure 15.i. in this system the fuel is methanol, which is stored in a storage tank as an aqueous solution. Excess water in the feed is needed to reduce CO formation in the reformer and avoid dehydration of the FC. Methanol is evaporated in the vaporizer as all reactions in the FP-FC system take place in the gas phase. In the reformer methanol is converted into a hydrogen-rich gas at 250 °C over a Cu-based catalyst according to the endothermic steam reforming reaction. 

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