(192d) Investigation of the Surface Reaction Mechanism in Ethanol Steam Reforming Over Supported Co Catalysts

As the concern for a sustainable energy strategy grows, replacing natural gas and other fossil fuels with renewable sources is gaining a new urgency. In this context, producing hydrogen from bio-derived liquids such as bio-ethanol has emerged as a promising technology due to its low toxicity, ease of handling and availability from many different renewable sources (e.g., sugar cane, algae). An added advantage of producing hydrogen from bio-derived liquids is that it is quite suitable for a distributed production strategy. Although there are many studies in the literature on the steam reforming of ethanol, there is no consensus on the reaction network, surface mechanisms and the surface intermediates. In this presentation, results from our ongoing investigation into the surface intermediates and mechanistic steps in ethanol steam reforming over ZrO2 and CeO2-supported Co catalysts will be presented. In addition to transient and steady-state reaction experiments, in-situ vibrational spectroscopy, temperature-programmed desorption, , thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and isotopic labeling studies will discussed. Comparison of the experimental data to initial results from computational chemistry will also be presented.