Thermochemical catalytic-reforming conversion of municipal solid waste to hydrogen-rich synthesis gas via carbon supported catalysts

Catalytic-reforming is considered to be an effective way to remove tar and adjust the H-2/CO ratio of synthesis gas generated via gasification and reforming of municipal solid waste. The abundance of carbon materials and the variability of their properties provide new opportunities for the development of reforming catalysts. In this study, carbon supported catalysts were prepared by impregnation with carbon materials as the support, Ni as the main component of catalysts, the rare earth element Ce as the promoter. The results indicated that Nickel based catalysts can promote tar cracking and increase hydrogen production in the process of catalytic reforming of MSW gasification. Adding a proper amount of promoter Ce can improve the catalytic performance, promote the tar cracking and hydrogen conversion. When the content of the active component Ni in Ni/C supported catalysts was 15%, the highest concentration of H-2 and CO was 29.30% and 21.03%, respectively, and the ratio of H-2/CO was up to 1.39. When the molar ratio of Ce and Ni was 0.25 in Ce-15% Ni/C supported catalysts, the concentration of H-2 reached 37.76%, the concentration of CO was 14.69%, the ratio of H-2/CO was 2.57 and tar content was low to 15.32 g/Nm(3). A proper addition of CeO2 can promote the tar cracking conversion from PAHs in tar to alkane. When the molar ratio of Ce and Ni was 0.50, the PAHs in tar almost disappeared, and more chain like aliphatic compounds (C-19 similar to C-27) appeared, which was beneficial to the subsequent treatment of tar and utilization of synthesis gas.