Application of Cement Clinker as Ni-Catalyst Support for Glycerol Dry Reforming

The increase in biodiesel production inevitably yield plethora of glycerol. Therefore, glycerol has been touted as the most promising source for bio-syngas (mixture of H2 and CO) production. Significantly, coking on nickel-based catalysts has been identified as a major deactivation factor in reforming technology. Indeed, coke-resistant catalyst development is essential to enhance syngas production. The current work develops cement clinker (comprised of 62.0% calcium oxide)-supported nickel catalyst (with metal loadings of 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt%) for glycerol dry reforming (CO2). Physicochemical characterization of the catalysts was performed using XRD, XRF, BET, TGA and FESEM-EDS techniques. Subsequently, reaction studies were conducted in a 7-mm ID fixed-bed stainless steel reactor at 1023 K with various CO2 partial pressures at constant weight-hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 7.2×104 ml gcat-1 h-1. Gas compositions were determined using Agilent 3000 micro-gas chromatography (GC) and Lancom III gas analyzer. Results obtained showed an increment of BET surface area up to 32-fold with Ni loading which was corroborated by FESEM images. Syngas (H2 and CO) ratios of less than 2 were being produced at 1023 K. A closer scrutiny to the transient profile revealed that the presence of CO2 higher or lower than CGR 1:1 promotes the Boudouard reaction. ？ 2013 BCREC UNDIP. All rights reserved Received: 30th May 2013; Revised: 27th August 2013; Accepted: 11st September 2013 [How to Cite: Lee, H.C., Siew, W.K., Cheng, C.K. (2013). Preparation Application of Cement Clinker as Ni-Catalyst Support for Glycerol Dry Reforming. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 8 (2): 137-144. (doi:10.9767/bcrec.8.2.5023.137-144)] [Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.8.2.5023.137-144