Steam reforming of methanol over Cu/ZnO/ZrO2/Al2O3 catalyst

•The Cu/ZnO/ZrO2/Al2O3 catalysts were applied to steam reforming of methanol (SRM).•The Cu dispersion was affected by the pretreatment conditions.•The beneficial effect of ZrO2 was observed for low-temperature SRM.•Coexistence of Al2O3 and ZrO2 was beneficial for high-temperature SRM.

Steam reforming of methanol was investigated over Cu–ZnO–ZrO2–Al2O3 catalysts at 473 and 573 K. The Cu:Zn:(Al + Zr) molar ratio was 3:3:4; however, the Zr:Al molar ratio was varied and the catalysts were pretreated at different calcination and reduction temperatures. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by N2 physisorption, temperature-programmed reduction with H2 (H2-TPR), X-ray diffraction, oxidized surface TPR, and infrared spectroscopy after carbon monoxide chemisorption. The crystalline size of Cu decreased on increasing the calcination temperatures from 573 to 623 K and increased on increasing the reduction temperatures from 523 to 573 K. Among the tested catalysts, the Cu–ZnO–ZrO2 catalyst exhibited the highest and lowest hydrogen-formation rates at 473 and 573 K, respectively. After the reaction at 573 K, all the tested catalysts exhibited an increase in the Cu crystalline size, causing the catalyst deactivation. Among the tested catalysts, the Cu–ZnO–ZrO2–Al2O3 catalyst, where the Cu:Zn:Al:Zr molar ratio was 3:3:2:2, showed the highest and most stable catalytic activity at 573 K. Cu dispersion and catalyst composition affected the catalytic performance for steam reforming of methanol.

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