Aqueous phase reforming of glycerol using highly active and stable Pt0.05CexZr0.95-xO2 ternary solid solution catalysts

• Pt0.05CexZr0.95-xO₂ ternary solid solutions were synthesized by a simple one-step method by our group for the first time.
• Pt0.05CexZr0.95-xO₂ ternary solid solutions are highly selective and stable for APR reaction.
• Pt0.05Ce0.475Zr0.475O2 was found to be very active and stable in APR of glycerol, had the highest carbon to gas conversion, H2 yield, H2 selectivity and stability.
• This is the first application of the stable Pt0.05CexZr0.95-xO₂ ternary solid solutions not only for the APR of glycerol but for any other catalytic reaction.

The aqueous phase reforming (APR) of glycerol is an attractive yet challenging pathway to convert abundant biomass into value added hydrogen. Pt catalysts have received attention due to their ability to produce hydrogen-rich gas under APR conditions. In this work, the conversion of glycerol into hydrogen is demonstrated using Pt0.05CexZr0.95-xO2 (x = 0, 0.29, 0.475, 0.66 and 0.95) solid solution catalysts. Both characteristic (XRD, BET, H2-TPR, CO-chemisorption, TEM and XPS) and reactivity measurements were used to investigate the activity of the catalysts. Results indicated that reactivity depended on the Ce/Zr ratio, which in turn affected the Pt oxidation state, active metal dispersion and surface area, and particle size. Among these catalysts Pt0.05Ce0.475Zr0.475O2 showed the highest carbon to gas conversion (95%), highest H2 yield (93%), highest H2 selectivity (98%) and at least 50 h of stability. The overall catalytic performance decreased in the order Pt0.05Ce0.475Zr0.475O2 > Pt0.05Ce0.29Zr0.66O2 > Pt0.05Zr0.95O2 > Pt0.05Ce0.66Zr0.29O2 > Pt0.05Ce0.95O2.

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