Intensified steam reforming of a simulated bio-oil for renewable hydrogen production over CeO2-promoted Ni/CaO bifunctional material: Experimental kinetics and reactor modeling

Sorption-enhanced steam reforming (SESR) of bio-oil represents a promising route for renewable hydrogen production and supports the transition toward sustainable energy systems. This intensified process applied to a simulated bio-oil was investigated over two bifunctional materials (BFM), namely UpGraded Slug Oxides (UGSO)-stabilized Ni/CaO (Ni-CaO-UGSO) and CeO2-promoted Ni-CaO-UGSO (xCeNi-CaO-UGSO, where x = 5, 10, and 15 wt%), focusing on the impact of key operating parameters (temperature and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV)) and CeO2 incorporation. 10CeNi-CaO-UGSO offered the best performance at 600 °C, WHSV of 1.408 h−1, and steam-to-carbon (S/C) ratio of 3 in terms of H2 purity (94 %), yield (85 %), and cyclic stability (91 % in the 5th cycle during 33 min of pre-breakthrough period). The results reveal the beneficial role of CeO2 in enhancing the sorption capacity due to its oxygen vacancies and enhanced textural properties and mitigating catalyst deactivation by coke deposition. For the first time, the kinetics of CO2 sorption and steam reforming of bio-oil over BFMs were assessed based on experimental data, along with the development of a comprehensive mathematical reactor model to evaluate the performance of the SESR process, an essential tool for designing industrial technologies. The results revealed a good agreement between experimental and predicted data for this complex intensified process.