Renewable hydrogen production from bio-oil derivative via catalytic steam reforming: An overview

Tremendous research efforts have been dedicated towards development and utilization of sustainable alternative energy resources. Depletion of fossil fuels and the rising environmental concerns such as global warming are among the reasons that necessitated such. Hydrogen (H₂) has been widely considered a clean fuel for the future, with the highest mass based energy density among known fuels. Bio-oil components are the most renewable energy carriers produced from bio-mass which have been selected for hydrogen production. Phenol and acetic acid are among the major liquid waste components of the bio oil. Catalytic steam reforming of these components in a fixed bed reactor provides a promising technique for hydrogen production from renewable sources. Due to the vital interaction that exists between catalyst and supports, Rh and Ni active metals and ZrO₂, La₂O₃ and CeO₂ supports were found to be appropriate catalysts with long-term stability for the hydrogen production via steam reforming of phenol and acetic acid. The process is advantageous due to its high hydrocarbon conversion and H₂/CO₂ product ratio. The present work provides extensive information about the phenol and acetic acid steam reforming process for producing hydrogen as a renewal energy carrier.