Catalytic partial oxidation of n-butanol for hydrogen production over LDH-derived Ni-based catalysts

Catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) of n-butanol is an alternative route for hydrogen production from bio-mass. An analysis on the thermodynamics using Gibbs free energy minimization method was carried out, and the results indicated that a higher H2 yield can be obtained near 700 °C or above with O2/butanol = 1.5-2.0. Layered double hydroxide (LDH) derived catalysts were proved effective in CPOX, and the Ni0.35Mg2.65Al0.5Fe0.5O4.5±δ catalyst produced about 4.03 mol-H2/mol-butanol at 700 °C with a feed of O2/butanol = 2.0. This higher activity can be attributed to the structural and electronic properties: there is a higher surface area of 178.2 m2/g, and more Ni0 atoms were obtained and remained stable in the 31-h CPOX test.