Selective CO oxidation with real methanol reformate over monolithic Pt group catalysts: PEMFC applications

Alumina supported Pt group metal monolithic catalysts were investigated for selective oxidation of CO in hydrogen-rich methanol reforming gas for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications. The results are described and discussed in the present paper and show that Pt/γAl2O3Pt/γAl2O3 was the most promising candidate to selectively oxidize CO from an amount of about 1 vol% to less than 100 ppm. We have investigated the effect of the O2 to CO feed ratio, the feed concentration of CO, the presence of H2O and/or CO2, and the space velocity on the activity, selectivity and stability of Pt/Al2O3 monolithic catalysts. Afterwards, the Pt/Al2O3 catalyst was scaled up and applied in 5 kW hydrogen producing systems based on methanol steam reforming and autothermal reforming. The hydrogen produced was then used as fuel for an integrated PEMFC.