Optimization for hydrogen production from methanol partial oxidation over NieCu/Al2O3 catalyst under sprays

In this work, a novel NieCu/Al2O3 catalyst is used to trigger the partial oxidation of methanol (POM) for hydrogen production. This reaction system also employed ultrasonic sprays to aid in dispersing methanol fuel. The prepared catalyst is analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to explore the catalyst's surface structure, elemental composition, and physical structure, respectively. The Box-Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM) is utilized for experimental design to achieve process optimization. The operating parameters comprise the O-2/C molar ratio (0.5-0.7), preheating temperature (150-250 degrees C), and weight percent (wt%) of Ni (10-30%) in the catalyst. The results show that methanol conversion is 100% in all the operating conditions, while the reaction temperature for H-2 production ranges from 160 to 750 degrees C, stemming from heat released by POM. The significance and suitability of operating conditions are also analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). It indicates that the highest H-2 yield is 2 mol (mol CH3OH)(-1), occurring at O-2/C = 0.5, preheating temperature = 150 degrees C, and Ni wt% = 10. Compared with the commercial h-BN-Pt/Al2O3 catalyst, the prepared NieCu/Al2O3 catalysts have higher activity for H-2 production. The O-2/C ratio is the most influential factor in the H-2 yield. Moreover, the