Aqueous phase reforming of various compounds in biomass derived products over Ni/-MoO3 catalysts: Effect of alkali and alkaline earth metals

Aqueous phase reforming (APR) of biomass derived products is a promising hydrogen generation approach, and many internal alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEMs) have been proven capable of catalyzing these processes. In this study, APR of various functional groups in biomass derived products over Ni/alpha-MoO3 catalyst toward hydrogen production and pollutants control was investigated. The effect of different AAEMs was comprehensively studied under a temperature of 225 degrees C and a residence time of 30 min. Findings demonstrated that Na, K, Ca, and Mg all showed hydrogen generation and total organic carbon removal capability, whose performances were competitive to Ni/alpha-MoO3 catalyst. Moreover, although the presence of single K suppressed the removal of total nitrogen (TN), the combination of K and the Ni/alpha-MoO3 catalyst exhibited the optimal removal efficiency of TN (69.92 %). A series of characterization results revealed that the AAEMs effectively prevented Ni leaching in the hydrothermal environment of the Ni/alpha-MoO3 catalysts and promoted the formation of oxygen vacancies, inhibiting carbon deposition and deactivation of the catalyst.