Work

A Comprehensive Experimental and Langmuir–Hinshelwood Kinetic Study of Ethanol Tri‐Reforming Over Ni–Co/La 2 O 3 for Sustainable Syngas Generation

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Sustainable production of syngas from renewable feedstocks has attracted significant attention due to increasing global energy demand and environmental concerns. Tri‐reforming of ethanol (TRE), which integrates steam reforming, dry reforming, and partial oxidation, offers a thermodynamically balanced and flexible route for hydrogen‐rich syngas production. In the present work, a bifunctional Ni–Co/La 2 O 3 catalyst was prepared through a sol–gel synthesis procedure and systematically characterized using temperature‐programmed reduction (H 2 ‐TPR), X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption analysis, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‐OES), and Raman spectroscopy. Catalytic experiments were carried out in a continuous fixed‐bed reactor within the temperature range of 300°C–600°C under different reactant feed ratios. To elucidate the reaction behavior, a mechanistic kinetic framework based on the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (LH) isotherm was established for ethanol tri‐reforming, ethanol decomposition (ED), and the combined steam/dry reforming of methane (CSDRM) occurring over separated Ni and Co active centers. Model parameters were obtained through nonlinear optimization and subsequently compared with experimental observations. The developed kinetic model accurately reproduced the experimental trends, exhibiting correlation coefficients ( R 2 ) in the range of 0.90–0.96 with prediction deviations below 11%. The activation energies for TRE, ED, and CSDRM were determined as 77.89, 96.97, and 112.39 kJ·mol −1 , respectively, indicating enhanced kinetic favorability of the integrated reforming environment. The synergistic interaction between Ni and Co significantly improved hydrogen production and reduced carbon deposition, while the basic La 2 O 3 support promoted CO 2 activation and coke gasification. Stability tests revealed sustained catalytic performance over 30 h with only moderate deactivation due to carbon accumulation and metal sintering.

Source: International Journal of Chemical Engineering

DOI: 10.1155/ijce/1889909

Authors: Amir Mosayebi, Atieh Ranjbar

Institution: Tafresh University

Language: English

Topic: Catalysts for Methane Reforming

Subfield: Catalysis

Field: Chemical Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,790