Catalytic steam and autothermal reforming of glucose, glycerol, and industrial wastewater was evaluated as
a basis for the development of a process for the production of hydrogen from renewable feedstocks. A catalyst
containing copper, nickel, and palladium was found to be effective under atmospheric pressure within the
temperature range of 500−800 °C. The effects of the steam-to-carbon and air-to-fuel ratios on the char formation
rates were studied. The problem of char formation was found to be predominant for the relatively high
concentrations required for a commercially viable process and used for the feed streams of the pure components.
However, two different industrial wastewaters obtained from the potato industry and the brewing industry
were partially converted to hydrogen through steam reforming using this Ni/Pd/Cu catalyst, without noticeable
char formation. The results obtained during reforming of the wastewater were compared with the results obtained
during autothermal reforming of the pure species.
The production of hydrogen from renewable and nonrenewable resources is demonstrated. Catalytic steam reforming, using a rhodium-containing catalyst, is shown to be effective for the conversion of natural gas and n-hexadecane (used as a simulant for diesel fuel). Improved conversion efficiencies can be achieved by performing the reaction at higher temperatures and steam to carbon ratios. The presence of sulfur in the fuel is shown to have a significant inhibiting effect on catalyst performance. Steam reforming of biomass-derived species is less effective when compared with that of simpler compounds such as methane and methanol, because these species decompose to produce tars and chars at temperatures below which steam reforming reactions are effective. Autothermal reforming has been shown to be relatively effective for several biomass-derived species.
Hydrogen production from biomass was investigated using an integrated biological and thermochemical process.
Glucose was used as a biomass surrogate and was first converted to ethanol in a fermentation process. The
fermentation experiments were carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The fermentation broth was then
used in aqueous phase reforming (APR) over a platinum-based catalyst. An economic analysis of the proposed
process demonstrates the economic viability of producing hydrogen from biomass using fermentation combined
with APR. The average production yield of hydrogen was ∼25%. The hydrogen obtained from APR of the
fermentation broth was compared against the yield from a feed containing 5% ethanol in water. While the
catalyst was stable for an extended time on stream during APR of ethanol, very rapid deactivation was observed
during APR of fermentation broth. Different catalyst characterization techniques, including XRD, BET surface
area, and ICP-AES, were employed to investigate the causes of catalyst deactivation. Although the analysis
suggested similar catalyst changes in both cases, and the exact deactivation mechanism could not be concluded,
these techniques helped to eliminate some mechanisms while suggesting other possible deactivation routes.
Nanofiltration of the fermentation broth was shown to remove the impurities leading to deactivation.
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