A comparative study on the effect of Zn addition to Cu/Ce and Cu/Ce–Al catalysts in the steam reforming of methanol

• The catalytic activity depends on the nature of the copper species on the support.
• The addition of ZnO have favored the interaction between CuCeO.
• Reduction of Cu2+ into Cu+ and Cu0.
• The presence of Cu+ and Cu0 is required to obtain a highly active solid.

The performances of different catalysts xCu10Ce and xCu10Ce10Al (with x = 1, 3 and 5) in the steam reforming of methanol reaction were studied with and without the presence of zinc. The reaction was investigated at 350 °C with a Gas Hourly Space Velocity of 15,500 h−1 and a steamed mixture of water and methanol (H2O/CH3OH = 2). The catalytic activity was found to be strongly dependent on the nature of the copper species present on the support and on the nature of the support. The addition of ZnO is beneficial to the solid 5Cu10Ce and promotes interaction between CuCeO eventually leading to the reduction of Cu2+ to Cu+ and Cu0 the most active species in the SRM reaction.

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