The effect of Al addition on the prevention of Ni sintering in bio-ethanol steam reforming for molten carbonate fuel cells

Hary Devianto, Zhen Lan Li, Sung Pil Yoon, Jonghee Han, Suk Woo Nam, Tae Hoon Lim, Ho In Lee

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    26 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This paper investigates the effect of modifying an Ni catalyst on the prevention of sintering of the catalyst at high temperatures, without causing a reduction in catalytic activity. The Ni catalyst was modified by adding Al through a solid-gas-solid reaction at a low temperature to produce an Ni-Al solid solution. This process allows for low-cost production of the modified catalyst. An activity test of the catalysts was carried out at 650 °C and 1 atm to simulate direct internal reforming of a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC). Experimental results showed consistent activity of the Al-modified catalyst, even after aging under severe conditions (900 °C) to simulate accelerated sintering. TEM data did not show any significant physical changes even after aging. Addition of Al appeared to have successfully prevented Ni from sintering without reducing its catalytic activity in reforming bio-ethanol. In addition, an Ni-Al/MgO catalyst, integrated into the anode of an MCFC, was successfully tested for over 2000 h without any significant performance degradation.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2591-2596
    Number of pages6
    JournalInternational Journal of Hydrogen Energy
    Volume35
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2010 Apr

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This work was financially supported by Center for Fuel Cell Research of Korea Institute of Science and Technology, and by the ERC program of MOST/KOSEF (Grant No. R11-2002-102-00000-0).

    Keywords

    • Bio-ethanol
    • Ni sintering
    • Ni-Al solid solution
    • Steam reforming

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
    • Fuel Technology
    • Condensed Matter Physics
    • Energy Engineering and Power Technology

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