Kinetics of Steam Reforming of Methanol.

The reaction of steam reforming of methanol occurs readily, at 200-250 degree C, on commercial catalysts for low-temperature CO conversion (CuO-ZnO-Al//2O//3 mixtures). The reaction on these catalysts proceeds in two steps: methanol decomposition is the first step, while CO conversion is the second. Since the first step is the decisive one in the process, the kinetics of the steam reforming reaction are limited by the methanol decomposition rate. In both cases a Langmuir kinetic model is suitable for interpreting the experimental data. the kinetic parameters evaluated by a nonlinear regression calculation are reported, and their validity is evaluated.