Enhanced phenol steam reforming for selective hydrogen production using nickel modified bimetallic zinc titanate nanocomposite

Highly reducible Ni/TiO2 modified ZnTiO3 composite was synthesized through hydrothermal approach and tested through phenol steam reforming (PSR) for hydrogen production. The activity tests were conducted in a continuous flow reactor to determine the effect of bi-metal modified ZnTiO3 support on PSR reaction. The highest phenol conversion and H2 yield were achieved using TiO2 loaded with 10 % and dispersed over ZnTiO3. The phenol conversion and H2 selectivity of 89.1 % and 75.6 % were obtained in the 10 % Ni/TiO2-ZnTiO3 catalyst, and were only 43.8 % and 13.8 % in the 10 % Ni/TiO2 catalyst. The enhanced activity for selective hydrogen production was due to strong Ni interaction with TiO2 metal oxide and ZnTiO3 perovskite with larger exposed active sites availability. Among the operating parameters, 700 °C, 5/95 wt% phenol/water, and 1 atm were the optimum conditions for maximum H2 production. The composite catalyst provides a higher catalyst in terms of phenol conversion and H2 evolution with excellent durability. Ni/TiO2 modified ZnTiO3 composite is a promising reforming catalyst for H2 production and can be further employed in cleaner energy production and other environmental applications.