Sorption-enhanced ethanol steam reforming coupled with in-situ CO₂ capture and conversion

The impacts of climate change and the issue of greenhouse gas emissions have sparked research into renewable energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Hydrogen has gained attention as a clean, renewable and environmentally friendly energy source. Enhanced-ethanol steam reforming has been proposed as a promising method for blue hydrogen production, addressing greenhouse gas emission issues. The use of catalysts enhances the adsorption of ethanol and water molecules on the surface, promoting the reaction rate. This study systematically explored the effects of different Fe loading and CaO addition ratios on the ethanol steam reforming and CO₂ conversion processes to optimize catalyst performance. The experimental results showed that Fe/SiC catalysts effectively promoted the conversion of ethanol and generated high-purity hydrogen, exhibiting excellent catalytic activity. Specifically, a catalyst with 10 % Fe loading and mixed with 0.3g CaO significantly increased the hydrogen yield to 64.4 mmol/g, which was 2.88 times higher than that without the catalyst.