Effect of Operating Conditions on the Performance of Rh/TiO2 Catalyst for the Reaction of LPG Steam Reforming

The catalytic performance of Rh/TiO2 catalyst was investigated for the reaction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) steam reforming with respect to the operating conditions employed. The impacts of reaction temperature, steam/C ratio, Gas Hourly Space Velocity (GHSV), and time were examined and discussed both in the absence and presence of butane in the feed. It was found that the catalytic performance is improved by increasing the reaction temperature, steam content in the feed, and/or by decreasing GHSV. In the presence of butane in the feed, the effect of H2O/C ratio on catalytic performance is prominent, whereas the opposite was observed for the effect of GHSV. The propane conversion curve decreases by adding butane in the feed, indicating that the presence of butane retards propane steam reforming. The investigation of the dynamic response of Rh/TiO2 catalyst to variations of H2O/C ratio showed that neither catalytic activity nor product selectivity is varied with time following abrupt changes of the steam/C ratio between 2 and 7. The catalyst exhibited excellent stability with time-on-stream at 500 and 650 °C. However, a reversible catalyst deactivation seems to be operable when the reaction occurs at 600 °C, resulting in a progressive decrease of propane conversion, which, however, can be completely restored by increasing the temperature to 650 °C in He flow, respectively. The long-term stability of Rh/TiO2 catalyst in the form of pellets showed that this catalyst is not only active and selective but also stable, and therefore, it is a promising catalyst for the reaction of LPG steam reforming.