Nickel supported on low-rank coal for steam reforming of ethyl acetate

Ethyl acetate is a volatile organic compound (VOC) that has emerged as a major environmental pollutant and also one of representative components of bio-oil. In this study, mostly metallic Ni particles (size: <10 nm) were finely dispersed on low-rank coal (LRC) by the ion-exchange process. Catalytic steam reforming of ethyl acetate (EA) was performed over Ni supported on Eco LRC (Ni/Eco) to reduce EA emissions and simultaneously produce H₂. EA reforming over 17.7 wt% Ni/Eco at 400 °C results in H₂ yield of 70%–80%; this is comparable to that achieved with reforming over commercial Ni/Al₂O₃. Advantageously, metallic Ni particles are dominant over Ni oxides on LRC, and therefore, the pre-reduction step routinely required for an alumina-supported catalyst can be skipped. Furthermore, deactivation by coking is slower with Ni/Eco than with Ni/Al₂O₃ during long-term operation, probably because of the smaller particle size and preferential adsorption on the coal support.