(435d) Catalytic Conversion of Ethanol to Hydrogen Using Combinatorial Methods

Ethanol is a globally available renewable source for hydrogen production for fuel cell applications. We have started applying the tools of combinatorial catalysis, an effective methodology for the accelerated discovery and optimization of functional materials, for the discovery of low temperature catalysts for the production of hydrogen from ethanol. Libraries of catalytic materials were prepared by impregnating porous pellets of ã-Al2O3, SiO2, TiO2, CeO2,Y-ZrO2 and ZnO2 with individual aqueous salt solutions of 42 elements from the periodic table at different loadings in the range 0.5-5 wt% range. In addition, high-throughput pulsed laser ablation (HT-PLA) was also used to prepare novel catalytic materials consisting of supported metal nanoparticles. Ethanol steam reforming activities and H2 selectivities of these distinct catalytic materials were then evaluated using a computerized array channel microreactor system, mass spectrometry and gas chromatography. Catalysts were screened under identical operating conditions of 1 atm and a GHSV of 60,000 h-1, using a feed gas composition of 2% C2H5OH and 12% H2O in helium carrier gas in the temperature range of 300-450 oC. This systematic investigation provided both confirmatory results as well producing new leads of superior catalytic materials for the synthesis of hydrogen from ethanol. Selected results from these investigations will be presented.