Ni/Y2O3-Al2O3 catalysts for hydrogen production from steam reforming of ethanol at low temperature

Y2O3-Al2O3 with different mole ratios of Y:Al were prepared by co-precipitation method. Catalysts Ni/Y2O3, Ni/Al2O3 and Ni/Y2O3-Al2O3 were prepared by impregnation method. The result of BET showed that Al2O3 with relative high surface area was in favor of Ni distribution, whilst the TPR test demonstrated that composite support had appropriate synergistic effect between active constituent and support, and NiO could be reduced more easily than loaded on the single support. H2-TPD test indicated that the catalyst NYA11 had lots of activity sites where H could be desorbed easily, which led to hydrogen-rich production over the catalyst. Composite support catalysts exhibited high activity for ethanol steam reforming (SRE), and the supported catalyst with composite of 1:1 mole ratio of Y:Al exhibited the optimum catalytic properties for SRE. Ethanol could be completely converted over catalyst NYA11 even at 450°C, and there had no inactivation after 60 h continuous reaction, hydrogen yield appeared maximum 35.9% at 400°C, and tended to increase with increasing H2O/EtOH molar ratio and feed flow rate.