Ethanol steam reforming on Mg- and Ca-modified Cu–Ni/SBA-15 catalysts

The effect of Mg and Ca incorporation (0–20 wt%) into CuNi/SBA-15 catalysts for hydrogen production by ethanol steam reforming has been studied. Promoting elements, Ca and Mg, were added to SBA-15 support prior to the active phase, Cu (2 wt%) and Ni (7 wt%). In both cases, the metals were incorporated to SBA-15 by incipient wetness impregnation followed by calcination to obtain the corresponding oxides. XRD analyses and TEM images demonstrated that CaO and MgO improved the dispersion of the Cu–Ni phase. Moreover, TPR profiles showed that Ca or Mg strengthened the interaction between the SBA-15 support and the Cu–Ni phase. Both promoting effects of Ca and Mg, together with their basic character enhanced the catalytic performance of CuNi/SBA-15 catalysts on ethanol steam reforming, giving higher hydrogen selectivity and lower coke deposition.