Hydrogen production by autothermal reforming of kerosene over MgAlOx-supported Rh catalysts Original Research Article

Autothermal reforming (ATR) of kerosene for hydrogen production was performed on the MgAlOx-supported Rh catalysts at LHSV of 15–25, S/C of 2.5, O/C of 0.5, at 101 kPa. Sphere-shaped supports with high compressive ultimate strength (0.90 MPa) were obtained from MG-30 hydrotalcite core (∼3 mm) by thorough heat treatment before impregnation of rhodium. Rhodium was loaded by pore-filling impregnation selectively to the surface of the sphere-shaped supports, confirmed by electron probe microanalysis. Stability tests on the prepared catalysts were performed, focusing on the small amount of C2–C3 hydrocarbons, concentrations of which reflect the catalytic activity and stability; i.e., low rates of C2–C3 olefin formation correspond to high activity of the catalysts. The reactor was designed to measure temperature profiles and gas distributions within the reactor (inner diameter ∼21.0 mm) and the catalyst bed (length 100 mm). The ATR reactions occur starting with an exothermic combustion of hydrocarbons, followed by an endothermic reforming. The maximum temperature reached ∼1200 K at the inlet of the catalyst bed and decreased to ∼1020 K towards the end of the catalyst bed. Among investigated catalysts, the catalysts treated in air at 1223 K gave the best performance for ATR of kerosene, giving H2 production reaching 60% of the exit gas. The concentration of the main byproduct, C2H4, over the optimized catalyst was lower than 0.03% at the exit of the reactor for 50 h of the study. The catalyst showed high tolerance to coking and high stability even at LHSV of 25 and daily start-up and shut-down (DSS) cycles, meeting practical requirements for the ATR catalysts.