Ru Rh based catalysts for hydrogen production via methanol steam reforming in conventional and membrane reactors

Results of hydrogen production study in methanol steam reforming (MSR) process with the use of Ru0.5–Rh0.5 catalysts supported on different carbon materials: synthetic graphite-like material Sibunit, carbon black Ketjenblack EC600DJ, detonation nanodiamonds (DND) and ZrO2-based material with fluorite structure, doped with ceria, have been described. The samples have been tested in conventional flow reactor and membrane (MR) reactor, containing Pd-based membranes with different composition, thickness and surface architecture. It has been shown that the catalytic activity of the composites depends on the support nature. The Ru Rh/DND catalyst exhibits the highest activity, whereas Ru Rh/Ce0.1Zr0.9O2–δ is the most selective. The use of Pd Ag (23%) foil with the surface modified by palladium black showed great advantages comparing to the smooth dense membrane. The use of the MR with the Pd Ag membrane improves the MSR reaction and provides almost 50% increase in the hydrogen yield. The hydrogen produced with the use of the MR is ultra pure.