Enhancing effect of CuCeO-activated white clay catalysts for hydrogen production from methanol steam reforming

Copper-based catalysts for methanol steam reforming (MSR) are popular due to their low cost, but they have significant drawbacks. The low Tammann temperature of copper predisposes it to metal aggregation and sintering at reduced reaction temperatures, while also resulting in the formation of detrimental by-products such as CO and CH4. This study presents the synthesis of novel copper-based catalysts through the modification of activated white clay (AWC) with CeO2. A variety of characterization techniques are utilized to examine the physical and chemical properties of these catalysts. Results show that AWC support facilitates the dispersion of active metals and improves the thermal stability of catalysts. The incorporation of CeO2 enhanced the reducibility of the catalysts and inhibited the generation of by-products. The 60 % Cu1Ce0.25/AWC catalyst exhibits the highest catalytic performance among the tested catalysts, achieving a methanol conversion of 85.6 % at 513 K, and a hydrogen production rate reaching 411 mmol g−1 h−1 at 593 K with zero selectivity for CO and CH4. In-situ DRIFTS analysis is conducted to investigate the adsorption and MSR mechanism. This study presents a novel approach to developing efficient and low-cost copper-based catalysts for hydrogen production from methanol, contributing to the practical application of hydrogen energy.