Final Report for "Investigation of reaction networks and active sites in bio-ethanol steam reforming over Co-based catalysts" with all publications attached.

This was a university-based research project in support of distributed reforming production technologies for hydrogen. Our objective was to examine the steam reforming of bio-ethanol and other related bio-derived liquids over non-precious metal catalyst systems to enable small-scale distributed hydrogen production technologies from renewable sources. The study targeted development of a catalytic system that does not rely on precious metals and that can be active in the 350-550 C temperature range, with high selectivity and high stability. To this end, we adopted a multi-prong research strategy, that included catalyst formulation and synthesis, detailed catalyst characterization, reaction kinetics and reaction engineering, molecular modeling and economic analysis studies. Our approach was an iterative one, where the knowledge gained in one aspect of the study was utilized to modify and fine-tune catalyst development. The research addressed many fundamental and inter-related phenomena involved in the catalytic steam reforming of ethanol that may not be readily studied in an industrial development setting. The outcome of the project was a catalytic system that was able to meet the DOE targets in hydrogen production, with high H{sub 2} yield, high selectivity and stability that could perform efficiently in the 350-550 C temperature range. In addition, we were able to answer many fundamental questions about the catalytic systems that could easily be translated to other catalytic systems. The study resulted in 14 refereed journal articles, with one more in preparation. The results were also shared broadly at many different national and international forums such as conferences of the American Chemical Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, North American Catalysis Society, International Congress on Catalysis and International Conference on Catalysis for Renewable Sources. There were 30 presentations given at various national and international meetings. The P.I. was also invited to give 11 lectures on the findings from this study at many universities and research centers in the USA and other countries. The knowledge base acquired through this study is expected to bring industry closer to designing catalytic systems that can be tailored for the specific hydrogen production applications, especially for distributed hydrogen production strategies