Impact of Zr Incorporation into the Ni/AlSBA-15 Catalyst on Its Activity in Cellulose Conversion to Hydrogen-Rich Gas

Abstract

This work focused on the investigation of the effect of zirconium incorporation into the structure of the Ni/AlSBA-15 catalyst on its performance in high-temperature conversion of cellulose (the main component of lignocellulosic feedstock) to hydrogen-rich gas. The modified supports were prepared by direct incorporation of zirconium and impregnation methods. The obtained results exhibited that introduction of zirconium into the structure of Ni/AlSBA-15 allowed for a considerable increase in the amount of hydrogen produced in the studied process in comparison to unmodified Ni/AlSBA-15 material. The characterization of physicochemical properties of the investigated materials (X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, temperature-programmed reduction, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, etc.) showed that the preparation of mesoporous Ni/ZrAlSBA-15 with the use of the direct synthesis method led to obtaining the catalyst with a higher surface area and pore volume and smaller crystallites of an active phase in comparison to the material containing nickel supported on ZrAlSBA-15 with zirconium introduced by impregnation. Despite that the mesoporous catalyst prepared by impregnation possessed higher acidity, its structure underwent partial collapse during the preparation procedure.

Impact of Support (MCF, ZrO2, ZSM-5) on the Efficiency of Ni Catalyst in High-Temperature Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Hydrogen-Rich Gas

“…To summarize, an application of MCF as a support of Ni catalyst for the high-temperature conversion of cellulose allows for the production of considerably higher amounts of H 2 (15.9 mmol H 2 /g cellulose) in comparison with the amount of H 2 produced by Ni supported on a commercial monoxide silica, alumina, or ceria (about 10 mmol H 2 /g cellulose) [18,55]. The efficiency of Ni/MCF was also higher than that observed for Ni/ZrO 2 and Co/SBA-15 or Ni-Co/SBA-15 (13.0–13.5 mmol H 2 /g cellulose) [20,56,57] and similar to the performance of Ni/CaAlO x catalyst (13.0–15.6 mmol H 2 /g biomass depending on the value of Ca/Al ratio) [58].…”

Hydrogen-Rich Gas Production by Upgrading of Biomass Pyrolysis Vapors over NiBEA Catalyst: Impact of Dealumination and Preparation Method

“…Hydrogen yield observed for Ni/BEA (17.8−14.7 mmol H 2 g −1 ) was also higher than that observed for Ni supported on a commercial alumina or silica (about 10−12 mmol H 2 g −1 ). 60,61 Moreover, the catalytic performance of the most active Ni 20 SiBEA (II) was higher than that noticed for bimetallic Ni−Co catalyst supported on SBA-15 (about 13.5 mmol H 2 g −1 ) and Ni/ CaAlO x catalyst (not more than 15.6 mmol H 2 g −1 depending on the contribution of Ca and Al). 62−64 It is worth mentioning that in contrast to Ni/MCF (15.9 mmol H 2 g −1 in cellulose conversion and 11.0 mmol H 2 g −1 in pine decomposition) 34 an activity of Ni/BEA catalysts did not noticeably change in the presence of real biomass feedstock (17.8 mmol H 2 g −1 in cellulose conversion and 17.3 mmol H 2 g −1 in pine decomposition in the case of Ni 20 SiBEA (II)), which is certainly a promising feature of Ni supported on BEA zeolites.…”

Multi‐Pathways for Sustainable Fuel Production from Biomass Using Zirconium‐Based Catalysts: A Comprehensive Review

“…Ni/ZrAlSBA-15 Cellulose 12% H 2 [111] Ni/ZrO 53% bio-oil [77] Advantages: hydrothermal liquefaction operates at moderate temperatures and pressures, making it suitable for wet biomass feedstocks, including algae and sewage sludge. Eni, an Italian multinational energy company, is involved in hydrothermal liquefaction for the production of biofuels and chemicals from various biomass, including sewage sludge, plant waste, and waste from the agri-food industry [210] .…”

“…A further investigation was carried out by incorporating zirconium into the structure of the Ni/AlSBA‐15 catalyst, utilizing a typical gasification catalytic approach. [ 111 ] The results demonstrated that the modified Ni/ZrAlSBA‐15 catalyst significantly enhanced H 2 production from cellulose compared to the unmodified Ni/AlSBA‐15 counterpart. In another study, cellulose was also used as a biomass feedstock with lignin.…”