Effect of support on hydrogen production by auto-thermal reforming of ethanol over supported nickel catalysts

Nickel catalysts supported on various supports such as ZnO, MgO, ZrO2, TiO2, and Al2O3 were prepared by an impregnation method to investigate the effect of support on catalytic performance in hydrogen production by auto-thermal reforming of ethanol. Among the supported catalysts, the Ni/ZrO2 and Ni/TiO2 catalysts showed better catalytic performance than the other catalysts. The electronic structure of nickel species supported on ZrO2 and TiO2 was favorably modified for the reaction, and thus, the reducibility of nickel species supported on ZrO2 and TiO2 was increased due to the weak interaction between nickel and support. On the other hand, the Ni/MgO and Ni/ZnO catalysts exhibited poor catalytic performance in the auto-thermal reforming of ethanol due to the formation of a solid solution phase.