Hydrogen production from E85 fuel with ceria-based catalysts

The use of renewable (crop-derived) fuels to produce hydrogen has considerable environmental advantages with respect to reducing net emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Ethanol is an example of a renewable fuel from which hydrogen can be derived, and E85 is a commercially available ethanol-based fuel of increasing importance. The distributed production of hydrogen from E85 fuel is one potential way of assuring availability of hydrogen as PEM fuel cells are introduced into service. NexTech Materials is collaborating with the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Laboratory (CERL) on the development of a hydrogen reformation process for E85 fuel. This paper describes the technical status of E85 fuel reforming process development work using Rh/ceria catalysts. Reforming results are compared for steam reforming and oxidative steam reforming of ethanol (the primary constituent of E85 fuel), isooctane, ethanol/iso-octane fuel mixtures (as a surrogate to E85), and commercially available E85 fuel. Stable reforming of E85 at 800 °C and a space velocity of 58,000 scm3 gcat−1 h−1 over a 200-h period is reported.