Influence of Al-Precursor in Combustion Synthesis of CuO/ZnO/CeO2/Al2O3 Nanocatalyst Used in Hydrogen Production from Steam Reforming of Methanol

Different catalysts have been developed for in-situ hydrogen production via steam methanol reforming reaction. Attempts are focused on producing catalysts with high conversion and selectivities to produce maximum hydrogen content and minimum amount of carbon monoxide. In the meantime, there are several ways to improve the catalytic properties which can be classified into two major categories: a) addition of promoters; b) change in the synthesis parameters. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of alumina precursor in the combustion synthesis method for synthesizing nanocatalysts promoted with 5%wt cerium oxide. Two samples with boehmite and aluminum nitrate precursors were synthesized and analyzed via XRD, BET, FESEM, EDX and FTIR to determine their physicochemical properties. CuO and ZnO were detected in XRD patterns and alumina presence was proved via SED-EDX and FTIR, because no peaks could be detected in XRD patterns. FESEM images showed that particles of synthesized samples were in nano range. FESEM analysis also revealed that the particle size of the sample with aluminum nitrate precursor was reduced and a more porous structure was obtained. Catalytic performance studies also exhibited that the sample with aluminum nitrate precursor yields better results in terms of conversion and product selectivities.