Effect of precursor and precipitant concentrations on the catalytic properties of CuO/ZnO/CeO2-ZrO2 for methanol steam reforming

A series of CuO/ZnO/CeO2-ZrO2 catalysts for methanol steam reforming was prepared by the co-precipitation method, and the effect of precursor and precipitant concentrations on the catalytic properties was investigated. All the catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption, XRD, H2-TPR and XPS techniques. It was shown that the precursor and precipitant concentrations remarkably influenced the catalyst structure and property. When the precursor and precipitant concentrations were 0.1 mol/L and 0.5 mol/L respectively, the catalyst exhibited the highest activity and the lowest CO selectivity. Within 360 h, the highest methanol conversion reached 100% with H2 concentration higher than 74.5% and CO concentration lower than 0.8% in the reforming gas, showing that the catalyst has excellent catalytic stability.