Insights into the catalytic activity of Ru/NaY catalysts for efficient H2 production through aqueous phase reforming

Abstract

Ruthenium nanoparticles supported on NaY zeolite catalysts were synthesized by a simple ion exchange method. The structural and morphological features of the catalysts were systematically investigated using numerous techniques such as N₂-sorption, XRD, CO₂-TPD, H₂-TPR, TEM, SEM, ICP-OES, TGA, CHN analysis, XPS, in situ CO-FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. These novel Ru–NaY catalysts were highly active and selective for H₂ production through aqueous phase reforming (APR) of glycerol and ethylene glycol. Among the various catalysts evaluated for H₂ production, the 3 wt% Ru–NaY catalyst demonstrated the highest catalytic performance with excellent H₂ selectivity and this catalyst exhibits better activity as compared to many state of the art catalysts reported so far. The superior catalytic activity of 3 wt% Ru–NaY was attributed to the appropriate Ru metal loading, good metal dispersion, small size of Ru nanoparticles, better metal-support interaction, and higher availability of catalytically active sites (Ru⁰) and facilitated water gas shift (WGS) reaction. This catalytic activity result clearly shows that NaY zeolite supported Ru nanoparticles catalysts have excellent potential for H₂ production from biomass-derived compounds.