In Situ Reduction of a CuO/ZnO/CeO2/ZrO2 Catalyst Washcoat Supported on Al2O3 Foam Ceramic by Glycerol for Methanol Steam Reforming in a Microreactor

A CuO/ZnO/CeO2/ZrO2 catalyst slurry was prepared by mixing the catalyst powder, a polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution, and glycerol. The slurry was coated on a Al2O3 foam ceramic support via a dip-coating method. The conventional prereduction treatment of a Cu-based catalyst by H-2 was replaced by in situ reduction of the catalyst by glycerol at a low temperature of 220 degrees C during the loading process, thus the integration of catalyst loading and reduction was achieved. The effects of the glycerol/catalyst weight ratio and the deposition number on the physicochemical properties of the prepared catalyst and the washcoat were systematically investigated. Results showed that the optimal glycerol/catalyst weight ratio led to a complete reduction of CuO with a small amount of residual carbon. A methanol steam reforming microreactor with the Al2O3 ceramic support prepared under an appropriate deposition number exhibited a 94% methanol conversion rate and a 0.15 mol/h H-2 yield at 360 degrees C.