Formic acid-to-hydrogen on Pd/AC catalysts: Kinetic study with catalytic deactivation
Celia Magaly Casado Martín, A. Quintanilla, Gonzalo Vega, José A. Casas
Abstract
A kinetic model for formic acid (FA) decomposition over a commercial 10 wt% Pd/AC catalyst has been developed to describe the hydrogen production and to understand the deactivation mechanism. The kinetic data were obtained in a batch slurry reactor in absence of mass transfer limitation at: CFA,0 = 0.25–2 M, CCAT = 1 g L−1, T = 25–85 ºC and P = 1 atm. The catalyst stability was studied in successive cycles at different temperatures. Fresh, used and regenerated Pd/AC catalysts were deeply characterized to gain insight into the activity, selectivity and stability. H2 and CO2 were the only reaction products detected. The reaction follows a first order kinetic for FA while the activity shows exponential decay with the initial FA concentration and reaction temperature. This paper represents a step forward in the on-site hydrogen production technology by using FA as liquid organic hydrogen carrier.