Influence of the Zn-Al binary oxide composition on the physicochemical and catalytic properties of Ni catalysts in the oxy-steam reforming of methanol

This paper presents the catalytic properties of mono-and bimetallic nickel supported catalysts in the oxy-steam reforming of methanol. The physicochemical properties of the supported catalysts were studied by various techniques such as TPR, TPD-NH3, XRD and BET. A significant impact of palladium and the support composition on the activity and selectivity of nickel catalysts in OSRM was demonstrated. The highest activity in the oxy-steam reforming of methanol reaction among all nickel catalysts was shown by the 20% Ni/ZnO center dot Al2O3 (Zn: Al = 1:1) catalyst. The acidity results correlate well with the reactivity of the investigated catalysts. The most active monometallic system showed the highest total acidity and was the easiest to reduce compared to the rest of the investigated Ni catalysts. The effect of palladium on the reducibility and reactivity of the nickel supported catalyst was proven. The activity results carried out in the OSRM reaction showed that such catalytic material may be potentially applied in fuel cell technology.