Pathways of ethanol steam reforming over ceria-supported catalysts

Ceria-supported Pt, Ir and Co catalysts are prepared herein by the deposition–precipitation method and investigated for their suitability in the steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) at a temperature range of 250–500 °C. SRE is tested in a fixed-bed reactor under an H2O/EtOH molar ratio of 13 and 20,000 h−1 GHSV. Possible pathways are proposed according to the assigned temperature window to understand the different catalysts attributed to specific reaction pathways. The Pt/CeO2 catalyst shows the best carbon–carbon bond-breaking ability and the lowest complete ethanol conversion temperature of 300 °C. Acetone steam reforming over the Ir/CeO2 catalyst at 400 °C promotes a hydrogen yield of up to 5.3. Lower reaction temperatures for the water–gas shift and acetone steam reforming are in evidence for the Co/CeO2 catalyst, whereas the carbon deposition causes its deactivation at temperature over 500 °C.