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

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

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

4. 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

5. 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

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

7. 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

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

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

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

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

12. 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

13. 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