Effect of Calcium Doping Using Aqueous Phase Reforming of Glycerol over Sonochemically Synthesized Nickel-Based Supported ZrO<sub>2</sub> Catalyst

oleh: Ain Syuhada, Mariam Ameen, Farooq Sher, Mohammad Tazli Azizan, Aqsha Aqsha, Mohd Hizami Mohd Yusoff, Muhamad Syafiq Hazwan Ruslan

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-08-01

Deskripsi

The aqueous phase reforming (APR) of glycerol was studied using sonochemically synthesized 10%Ni-x%Ca/ZrO<sub>2</sub> catalysts (where x = 0, 0.5, 3, and 5) for the production of value-added liquid products. The APR reaction was performed in a batch reactor under the following conditions: 20 bar, 230 °C 450 rpm, and 1 h of reaction time. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using XRD, FESEM, BET, and H<sub>2</sub>-TPR to observe the effect of Ca doping on the physio-chemical properties of the catalysts. The results revealed that, at higher Ca loading, the catalysts experienced serious particles’ agglomeration, which resulted in a larger particles’ size, smaller surface area, and smaller pore volume owing to uneven distribution of the particles. The characterization results of the catalysts confirmed that the Us catalysts have a slightly higher surface area, pore volume, and pore size, as well as highly reducible and fine crystalline structure, compared with WI catalysts. The catalytic performance of the catalysts shows that 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) and 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) were the two main liquid products produced from this reaction. The highest selectivity of 1,3-PDO (23.84%) was obtained over the 10%Ni/ZrO<sub>2</sub> catalyst, while the highest selectivity of 1,2-PDO (25.87%) was obtained over the 10%Ni-5%Ca/ZrO<sub>2</sub> catalyst.