Hydrogen production by ethanol reforming over NiZnAl catalysts: Influence of Ce addition on carbon deposition Original Research Article

Catalytic systems based on Ni supported on ZnAl2O4 spinel phase modified by CeO2 were prepared by a sol–gel method and characterized by different techniques such as thermal gravimetry (TG), BET, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), NH3 DTP, X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, TPO and Raman spectroscopy. The ethanol steam reforming reaction was studied at atmospheric pressure in the temperature range 400–700 °C. The coke deposition depended strongly on the reaction temperature and the Ce/Ni ratio. The catalyst with 10% ceria exhibited interesting catalytic properties regarding carbon deposition. At 500 °C the presence of Ce slightly modified the product distribution but inhibited the filament formation. When the reaction temperature was high (700 °C) the catalytic performance was similar in catalysts with and without Ce and hydrogen selectivity was about 90%.