Methanol steam reforming in the traditional and membrane Reactors over Pt-Rh/TiO₂-In₂O₃ catalyst using surface-treated Pd-Cu foil membranes

The production of high-purity hydrogen is very important for the efficient operation of fuel cells based on proton-exchange membranes. One of the best solutions to this problem is the use of membrane catalysis processes. The study of methanol steam reforming (MSR) over Pt-Rh/TiO₂-In₂O₃ catalyst was carried out in traditional and membrane reactors using Pd-Cu foil treated by various methods. This catalyst showed the highest catalytic activity in a conventional reactor. The methanol steam reforming occurs at the interface between the Pt-Rh alloy and the oxide support. The oxygen vacancies formation in the oxide structure leads to the water sorption increase and the diffusion rate of oxygen-containing groups on the surface increase. There is the data in the literature about the catalytic activity of indium oxide. Therefore, it can be assumed that the use of this support can promote the catalytic activity of the Pt-Rh alloy. The main products of MSR over Pt-Rh/TiO₂-In₂O₃ catalyst were hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The use of surface-treated membranes in catalysis should increase the efficiency of processes occurring at relatively low temperatures and made it possible to produce high-purity hydrogen. The best results (hydrogen yield) are achieved in a membrane reactor with the use Pt-Rh/TiO₂-In₂O₃ catalyst and Pd-Cu membrane after hard rolling. At the same time, the hydrogen recovery degree on the permeate zone on this membrane reached 60%. This is more compared to the foil treated after ultrasonic cleaning and double-sided photonic treatment (20%).