HYDROGEN FROM STEAM REFORMING OF ETHANOL - CHARACTERIZATION AND PERFORMANCE OF COPPER-NICKEL SUPPORTED CATALYSTS

The effect of the copper loading and calcination temperature on the st ructure and performance of Cu/Ni\K\gamma-Al2O3 catalysts is examined. TPR, XRD and N2O chemisorption techniques are employed. Activity and s electivity measurements are carried out considering steam reforming of ethanol as the test reaction. The appearance of CuO phase depends on copper loading and calcination temperature, whereas NiAl2O4 phase is p resent in all the analyzed samples. Copper dispersion is favored at lo wer copper loading. TOF values indicate that steam reforming of ethano l should be a structure-sensitivity reaction, at least under the exper imental conditions used in this work. (C) 1998 International Associati on for Hydrogen Energy.