Thermal catalytic reforming for hydrogen production with zero CO <sub>2</sub> emission
Mi Peng, Yuzhen Ge, Rui Gao, Jie Yang, Aowen Li, Zhiheng Xie, Qiaolin Yu, Jie Zhang, Hiroyuki Asakura, Hui Zhang, Zhi Liu, Qi Zhang, Jin Deng, Jihan Zhou, Wu Zhou, Graham J. Hutchings, Ding Ma
Abstract
Carbon-neutral hydrogen production is of key importance for the chemical industry of the future. We demonstrate a new thermal catalytic route for the partial reforming of ethanol into hydrogen and acetic acid with near-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This reaction is enabled by a catalyst containing a high density of atomic Pt 1 and Ir 1 species supported on a reactive alpha-molybdenum carbide substrate, achieving a hydrogen production rate of 331.3 millimoles of hydrogen per gram catalyst per hour and an acetic acid selectivity of 84.5% at 270°C, and is therefore more energy-efficient compared with standard reforming. Techno-economic analysis of partial ethanol reforming demonstrates the potential profitability for operation at an industrial scale, presenting the opportunity to produce hydrogen and acetic acid with a substantially reduced carbon dioxide footprint.