Overview of glycerol reforming for hydrogen production

Hydrogen is used by the chemical industry in numerous processes, and today almost 95% is produced from raw materials based on fossil fuels, such as methane (CH4). However, catalytic reforming technologies face a number of technical and scientific challenges involving the quality of raw materials, conversion efficiency, and safety issues in the integration of systems of H2 production, purification and use, among others. Glycerol is a versatile raw material for H2 production because it is the main by-product of biodiesel production, which a few years ago was consolidated in the world energy matrix and whose production continues to grow in the main consumer markets. Moreover, it has the noteworthy characteristic of decentralized production, which is directly reflected in its easy use. This paper presents a literature review on the reforming technologies applied to glycerol, the advantages of each route, and the main problems involved.