Materials for Clean H2 Production from Bioethanol Reforming

Hydrogen is one of the most important resources in providing food, fuel,
and chemical products for our everyday life. Sustainable catalytic
hydrogen production from bioethanol has gained significant attention
in recent years due to globally diminishing fossil fuel supplies, which
have necessitated the search for new chemical feedstocks. Ethanol has
been considered as one of the most promising renewable energy
resources since it has low toxicity and can be safely stored and easily
transported. Bioethanol is the ethanol produced by fermentation of
biomass materials including sugar cane, corn, and lignocellulose.
Catalytic steam reforming (SR) of ethanol has been extensively
investigated for hydrogen production in the past decade. These SR
reactions are commonly carried out using heterogeneous catalysts,
which include an active phase of nanosized metal particles on an oxide
support. This article reviews the catalytic process for bioethanol
reforming with a focus on supported nanoscale rhodium catalysts