Characterization of supported Ni catalysts for aqueous-phase reforming of glycerol

The aqueous phase reforming (APR) over supported nickel-based catalysts was investigated as a feasibility study for hydrogen production from glycerol, byproduct of biodiesel produced by trans-esterification of triglycerides. Four different Ni-supported catalysts (Ni/LaAlO3, Ni/CeO2, Ni/MgO, and Ni/MgAl) were examined for the glycerol reforming in terms of the catalytic activities and the level of resistance. The APR of glycerol over Ni-supported catalysts showed that the conversion of glycerol to gas and H2 selectivity were strongly dependent on the support and amount of Ni loading. A perovskite type catalyst, Ni/LaAlO3, showed the highest reforming performance and good stability. A perovskite-type catalyst showed the glycerol conversion to 36% and the maximum value of H2 and CO2 selectivity to 96% and 81%. And the reforming gas composition in gas phase was measured to H2 61%, CO2 32%, CH4 6%, and CO 1% in the APR over Ni/LaAlO3. Comparison results of the reported results showed that Ni supported catalysts in the present study showed good performance for the APR to produce hydrogen from renewable resources.