Highly Efficient Ni/CeO2/Al2O3 Catalyst for Pre-reforming of Liquefied Petroleum Gas under a Low Molar Ratio of Steam to Carbon

The pre-reforming of commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) over Ni-based catalysts at a low steam to carbon molar ratio was investigated. Ni/CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared by impregnating boehmite with an aqueous solution of cerium and nickel nitrates. These catalysts were found to be highly efficient in LPG pre-reforming at 300-400 C and a low molar ratio of steam to carbon of 1.0. The effect of nickel content and reaction temperature on the performance of the Ni/CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts was evaluated and the 15%Ni/CeO2/Al2O3 catalyst was selected for a stability test in the pre-reforming of LPG. The results showed that the conversion of LPG and the composition of the products in the exit gas were almost unchanged for the steam reforming of commercial LPG after about 105 h of reaction time on stream at 350 degrees C and GHSV of the inlet gas of 3 000 ml/(g.h) with a steam to carbon molar ratio of 1.0, indicating that the catalyst exhibited excellent stability. After the reaction, no obvious carbon was observed on the catalyst surface. Ni/CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts show good catalytic performance for the low-temperature steam reforming of LPG, which may potentially be used in commercial fuel cells.