Hydrogen production and performance of nickel based catalysts synthesized using supercritical fluids for the gasification of biomass

A method for synthesizing carbon nanotube/fiber and aluminosilicate supported Ni catalysts using supercritical methanol is suggested. This one-pot synthesis method allows the metal precursor (nickel acetylacetonate) to reduce directly onto the surface of the carbon structure without the pretreatment of surface functional groups. The synthesized catalysts are confirmed to be active in the gasification of biomass in supercritical water—specifically for the production of hydrogen-rich gases. Although the synthesized catalysts can produce similar hydrogen yields (∼8 mmol H2/g biomass) compared to two commercially available aluminosilicate supported Ni catalysts, the gas product ratio for producing hydrogen over methane for the synthesized catalysts was 3.5 mol H2/mol CH4 compared to 1.3 mol H2/mol CH4 for the commercial catalysts under the same conditions.