Investigation of Aerogel/Xerogel Catalysts for Autothermal Reforming of JP-8

Use of fuel cells for applications, like auxiliary power units in Abrams tanks, unmanned aerial vehicles and ground vehicles, is of importance to the Army. The primary barrier to the commercialization of fuel cells is cost-driven. This project will contribute to the solution of this problem by preparing novel reforming catalyst formulations by the sol-gel method. The objective of this investigation was to prepare various xerogel catalysts with high resistance to coking and sulfur poisoning, and to investigate their performance in the autothermal reforming (ATR) of n-dodecane (a surrogate for JP-8) and isobutanol; and to relate observed activity and selectivity to the physical and chemical properties of the catalyst. The preparation method and the catalyst composition were optimized. All the prepared catalysts have high BET surface area and mesoporous pore size, and exhibit uniform distribution of nano-sized metal oxides in the solid matrix. Nickel catalyst supported on CeO2-Zr2O3-Al2O3 was the most active and selective catalyst for ATR of n-dodecane, exhibiting low coke formation and high stability. Nickel catalyst supported on CeO2-Zr2O3-Al2O3 and promoted by ruthenium was the best catalyst for the ATR of isobutanol. After the long runs, the morphology and features of the catalysts did not change appreciably. The original document contains color images.