Steam Reforming of Glycerol for Hydrogen Production over Ni Catalysts Supported by CeO2-Al2O3 Xerogel

The Ni catalysts supported by CeO2-Al2O3 xerogel were prepared by sol-gel method. The effect of hydrolysis ratio (R at 16.5 and 165) on CeO2-Al2O3 textural properties and phase formation were investigated. The results revealed that the porous texture and the Ni crystalline phase can be controlled by adjusting the hydrolysis ratio. A high surface area and small Ni crystallite size were obtained by using the hydrolysis ratio of 16.5. For hydrogen production via glycerol steam reforming, the Ni catalyst supported on CeO2-Al2O3 xerogel showed a better catalytic performance than that supported on commercial alumina. The promoted Ni catalyst supported on commercial alumina suddenly deactivated after first 12 h, whereas that on Al2O3 xerogel performed the catalytic stability more than 20 h. This demonstrated that the catalyst prepared by sol-gel method is an interesting catalyst for using in the glycerol steam reforming because of the catalytic stability enhancement.