Skip to main content

Investigation of the structure of Cobalt-Zinc bimetallics for steam reforming of alcohols


EMSL Project ID
34907

Abstract

Cobalt and Cobalt-Zinc Oxide catalyst systems have been shown to be active towards methanol reforming (CH₃OH → CO₂+H₂) as well as selective towards production of CO₂ and H₂ instead of CO and H₂. [1, 2] It is unclear what role ZnO plays in the reaction, however it is possible that a CoZn alloy forms from ZnO-supported cobalt under reaction conditions, as has been shown to occur for Pd/ZnO. Since PdZn alloy forms spontaneously from Pd/ZnO under reaction conditions and is an active phase in methanol steam reforming[3, 4] there is a need to determine the conditions for making CoZn alloys, and subsequently to study their reactivity for alcohol steam reforming. Since Co is prone to oxidation, it is necessary to perform these studies in-situ. This study therefore aims to establish the conditions under which a CoZn alloy can be formed from ZnO supported cobalt as well as bulk synthesized CoZn powders. Of specific interest are the phases being formed and their catalytic reactivity.

Project Details

Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2009-10-06
End Date
2012-09-30
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Abhaya Datye
Institution
University of New Mexico

Team Members

Eric Peterson
Institution
University of New Mexico

Barr Halevi
Institution
University of New Mexico

Ayman Karim
Institution
Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Mark Engelhard
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Related Publications

Davidson S ,Sun J ,Hong Y ,Karim A M,Datye A K,Wang Y 2014. "The Effect Of ZnO Addition On Co/C Catalyst For Vapor And Aqueous Phase Reforming Of Ethanol" Catalysis Today 233():38-45. 10.1016/j.cattod.2013.12.044
Sun J ,Karim A M,Mei D ,Engelhard M H,Bao X ,Wang Y 2015. "New Insights into Reaction Mechanisms of Ethanol Steam Reforming on Co-ZrO2" Applied Catalysis. B, Environmental 162():141-148. 10.1016/j.apcatb.2014.06.043