Hydrogen production by ethanol steam reforming PhD student: José Antonio Torres Supervisor: Daniel Montané Wood Biopolymers Group

Presentation outline Introduction Motivation Overall Objective Research scope Catalyst preparation & characterization Reactor engineering Workplan Project stages and work packages

Presentation outline Introduction Motivation Overall Objective Research scope Catalyst preparation & characterization Reactor engineering Workplan Project stages and work packages

Where the problem came from Environmental problems Atmospheric pollution Greenhouse effect Global dependency on fossil fuels Fair balance between: limited oil reserves increasing oil consumption

Generating solutions Desired characteristics Major improve Renewable energy source Easy to: produce, store and transport Widely available Environmentally friendly Reasonable cost is a MUST Major improve in the technology for producing energy

Deciding the course of action Reactor Module Biomass Catalytic Reaction Fuel Cell Energy High efficiency

Objective H2 H2O CO2 Steam reforming reaction C2H5OH+3H2O 2CO2+6H2 Reactor Module Ethanol H2 H2O CO2 Combustion Separation Steam reforming reaction C2H5OH+3H2O 2CO2+6H2 DHr=173.1 kJ/mol

Presentation outline Research scope Introduction Motivation Overall Objective Research scope Catalyst preparation & characterization Reactor engineering Workplan Project stages and work packages

Catalytic reactor scopes Micro: Catalyst Levels Meso: Reactor Macro: Process

Catalyst preparation & characterization Active Phase High Surface Area Longevity/Strength Chemistry Materials Science Engineering Product characteristics Knowledge required Performance on Activity Selectivity Stability

Reactor design Configurations Packed Bed Monolith Performance on Reaction kinetics Hydrodynamics/Pressure drop Mass/heat transfer

Presentation outline Workplan Project stages and work packages Introduction Motivation Overall Objective Research scope Catalyst preparation & characterization Reactor engineering Workplan Project stages and work packages

Project stages and work packages Prepare the catalyst Start Is the experimental equipment working appropriately? No Yes Perform an experimental test Prepare the packed bed reactor Is the catalyst adequate? Analyze performance No Yes Prepare the monolith Look for variations Perform experiments Analyze performance Report findings Is the monolith giving satisfactory results? No Yes