Naphtha steam reforming for hydrogen production

A study based on hydrogen production by catalytic naphtha steam reforming is presented. Reaction product composition depends on process conditions, which govern the equilibrium of gas species. This study has been realized in a fixed-bed-type reactor with a commercial steam reforming nickel catalyst and with a series of catalysts obtained by thermal decomposition of nickel based hydrotalcites. Operation condition influence has been studied. Catalysts prepared from hydrotalcites are promising materials to use in steam reforming reactions, since their catalytic activity is significantly higher than it is for the commercial one. These samples have been characterized by various techniques in order to correlate their activity with their structural characteristics. Finally, we have determined how the nickel content of hydrotalcite-derived catalysts affects their catalytic activity and resistance to carbon formation for naphtha steam reforming reaction.