Modern Trends and Problems Related to Design of Catalysts for Biofuels Transformation into Syngas and Hydrogen

Production of syngas by methods alternative to steam reforming of methane now becomes more popular due to both environmental and commercial reasons. Transformation of oxygenates obtained from biomass and dry reforming of natural gas appears to be the most effective. This review considers problems related to the design of efficient structured catalysts for natural gas and biofuels transformation into syngas. Their active components are comprised of fluorite, perovskite, and spinel oxides or their nanocomposites (both bulk and supported on high surface area Mg-doped alumina or MgAl2O4) promoted by platinum group metals, nickel and their alloys. The mechanism of the main reactions was studied by using such methods as SSITKA, kinetic transients and pulse techniques. A complex of modern structural, spectroscopic and kinetic methods was applied to elucidate atomic-scale factors controlling their performance and stability to coking, such as dispersion of metals/alloys, strong metal-support interaction and oxygen mobility/reactivity as dependent upon their composition and synthesis procedures. Monolithic catalysts comprised of optimized active components loaded on structured substrates with a high thermal conductivity demonstrated high activity and stability to coking in processes of natural gas and biofuels reforming into syngas. A pilot-scale axial reactor equipped with the internal heat exchanger and such catalysts allowed to efficiently convert into syngas the mixture of natural gas, air and liquid biofuels in the autothermal reforming mode at low (~50 – 100°C) inlet temperatures and GHSV up to 40 000 h-1. This study reviews the fundamental bases for the production technology of highly efficient and stable coking structured catalysts with nanocomposite active components for natural gas and biofuel transformation into syngas. Design of reactors for these catalysts with efficient control of the heat and mass transfer in these processes provides bases for their industrial production, thus solving the problems of green energy development.