High yield hydrogen production from low CO selectivity ethanol steam reforming over modified Ni/Y2O3 catalysts at low temperature for fuel cell application

Ethanol–water mixtures were converted directly into H₂ with 67.6% yield and >98% conversion by catalytic steam reforming at 350 °C over modified Ni/Y₂O₃ catalysts heat treated at 500 °C. XRD was used to test the structure and calculate the grain sizes of the samples with different scan rates. The initial reaction kinetics of ethanol over modified and unmodified Ni/Y₂O₃ catalysts were studied by steady state reaction and a first-order reaction with respect to ethanol was found. TPD was used to analyze mechanism of ethanol desorption over Ni/Y₂O₃ catalyst. Rapid vaporization, efficiency tube reactor and catalyst were used so that homogeneous reactions producing carbon, acetaldehyde, and carbon monoxide could be minimized. And even no CO detective measured during the first 49 h reforming test on the modified catalyst Ni/Y₂O₃. This process has great potential for low cost H₂ generation in fuel cells for small portable applications where liquid fuel storage is essential and where systems must be small, simple, and robust.