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Ni-Co loaded hemp-derived activated carbon (AC) catalyst is synthesized by the wet impregnation method for steam methane reforming (SMR) for hydrogen production. The monometallic and bimetallic metal (Co, Ni) catalysts were synthesized over activated AC with 5 wt% by the wet impregnation method and characterized by using various techniques. XRD and SEM results suggested that the catalysts with small metal crystallites promote a better dispersion of highly porous AC.The catalytic assessment of all synthesized catalysts for SMR was carried out in a thermal fixed bed reactor at 750 °C, WHSV 2000 mL CH4 g−1 h−1, and S/C of 2.0. The catalytic results showed that among all the investigated samples, monometallic cobalt catalyst (5% Co@AC) exhibited the best results in terms of CH4 conversion (97.17%) and H2 production (66.08%). While the 5% Ni@AC and 5% NiCo@AC show a CH4 conversion of 90.28% and 92.52%, respectively, whereas the H2 production was 61.02% and 65.89%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co/TiO2–MgAl2O4 was investigated in a fixed bed reactor for the dry reforming of methane (DRM) process. Co/TiO2–MgAl2O4 was prepared by modified co-precipitation, followed by the hydrothermal method. The active metal Co was loaded via the wetness impregnation method. The prepared catalyst was characterized by XRD, SEM, TGA, and FTIR. The performance of Co/TiO2–MgAl2O4 for the DRM process was investigated in a reactor with a temperature of 750 °C, a feed ratio (CO2/CH4) of 1, a catalyst loading of 0.5 g, and a feed flow rate of 20 mL min−1. The effect of support interaction with metal and the composite were studied for catalytic activity, the composite showing significantly improved results. Moreover, among the tested Co loadings, 5 wt% Co over the TiO2–MgAl2O4 composite shows the best catalytic performance. The 5%Co/TiO2–MgAl2O4 improved the CH4 and CO2 conversion by up to 70% and 80%, respectively, while the selectivity of H2 and CO improved to 43% and 46.5%, respectively. The achieved H2/CO ratio of 0.9 was due to the excess amount of CO produced because of the higher conversion rate of CO2 and the surface carbon reaction with oxygen species. Furthermore, in a time on stream (TOS) test, the catalyst exhibited 75 h of stability with significant catalytic activity. Catalyst potential lies in catalyst stability and performance results, thus encouraging the further investigation and use of the catalyst for the long-run DRM process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The characterization and ash fusion temperature of biomass ash (BFA/BBA) is investigated. • The CeO 2 modified BFA/BFA shows higher fusion temperatures. • The physicochemical characteristics depict the suitability of BFA as a catalyst support. • Co/BFA shows stable H 2 production via CH 4 decomposition for 330 min on stream. The biomass utilization for power generation is one of the efficient pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the high ash formation in biomass fed power plants raises several concerns, especially ash handling and its utilization. In this study, the biomass ash characterization, ash fusion analysis and its utilization as a catalyst in methane (CH 4) decomposition were systematically investigated. The biomass bottom ash (BBA) and biomass fly ash (BFA) were modified using laboratory synthesized CeO 2 nanoparticles to enhance the fusion temperature. The BBA, BFA and modified CeO 2 -BBA/BFA samples were characterized by ultimate analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis to investigate the physicochemical properties and its suitability for the catalysis applications. The detailed characterization inferred that BFA has significant potential in improving the ash fusion temperature as well as suitable for catalysis of fuel processing due to the presence of metal oxides such as Fe 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , CaO, Al 2 O 3 and its porous structure. Furthermore, the most suitable BFA was impregnated with cobalt (Co). Co loaded BFA was employed for CH 4 decomposition at 700 °C for H 2 production in a fixed bed reactor. The Co/BFA demonstrated a stable catalytic activity of more than 330 min on stream with optimum H 2 yield of 30%. The direct employment of BFA as catalyst support shows potential in further catalytic applications and material applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]