Boreskov Institute of Catalysis of the Siberian Branch of Russian ...

PP-IV-16A HIGH-EFFICIENT MICROREACTOR WITH Zn/TiO 2 CATALYSTFOR METHANOL STEAM REFORMINGL.L. Makarshin, D.V. Andreev, A.G. Gribovskii, R.M. Khantakov, and V.N. ParmonBoreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, Novosibirsk, 630090 RussiaNovosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, 630090 RussiaCopper containing catalysts is widely used for steam reforming of methanol (SMR)processes because of their low operation temperature (160-250 °C). But these catalysts canlose activity during a rather short operation time depending of the synthesis conditions.Therefore, the improvement of synthesis procedures and development of more stable catalystsof SMR are of prime importance in the design of fuel reformers. Zn/TiO 2 catalysts are knownto exhibit high catalytic activity in the SMR process, but at temperatures exceeding 350 °C.Thus, at 400-450 °C Zn/TiO 2 catalysts exhibited a higher activity than copper catalysts andunderwent considerably slower deactivation.The present work was aimed at elucidating the effect of a type of microchannel plates andmethods of Zn/TiO 2 catalyst deposition on the kinetics of SMR in a microreactor as well thecatalyst deactivation during operation time.Zn/TiO 2 catalyst was synthesized by impregnation of highly dispersed TiO 2 –anatase byaqueous solution of Zn(NO 3 ) 2 with subsequent drying and calcination at 450 °C. Theexperiments were performed in a rhombic (34x34x10 mm) stainless steel microreactor withfree space volume of 3.6 cm 3 , containing microchannel plates (20x30 mm). An input reagentflow was directed to the free trapezoidal microreactor zone to provide a uniform distributionof a gas flow through all channels. The microreactor was heated by an external heat source.Microchannel plates MCP1 and MCP2 were prepared by cold pressing from foamed nickeland copper respectively. The rectangular channels (cross-section 0.15x5 mm, length 20 mm)were formed on each microchannel plate. Microchannel plate MCP3 was prepared from acorrugated brass foil. Triangular channels (height 0.5 mm, width 1.0 mm) were formed bystacking alternate corrugated and flat plates in the microreactor.Study of Zn/TiO 2 catalyst supported on the microchannel plates showed that the catalystexhibited sufficient activity in the SMR processes and outperformed the known coppercatalysts in some cases. The maximal catalyst activity was observed on the foamed coppermicrochannel plate MCP2. Thus, a microreactor with a total volume of 12 cm 3 at 450 °C andthe 80% methanol conversion produced 78.6 l/h of hydrogen. The hydrogen production in themicroreactor with the microchannel plates of foamed nickel and corrugated brass foil (MCP1424