Effect of calcium and potassium on activity of mordenite-supported nickel catalyst for hydrogen production from biomass gasification

This research shows the effect of a catalyst supported on mordenite (natural and modified) impregnated with nickel, calcium, and potassium on palm kernel shell gasification for hydrogen production. The gasification process was carried out using a lab-scale fixed bed reactor at 900 °C with steam as gasifying agent. The use of the catalysts significantly improved the hydrogen production and the incorporation of metals in the mordenite increased hydrogen selectivity. The maximum H₂ content in the non-catalyzed gasification was approximately 34 mol%, while in the treatments with catalysts it ranged between 40 and 73 mol%. The T2-C5 catalyst impregnated with Ni, Ca, and K presented the highest H₂ content (72.9 mol%), which is associated with the synergistic interaction of nickel, calcium, and potassium. This catalyst presented the highest strong acidity (1.30 mmol NH₃ g⁻¹) and the highest crystallinity (85.8%) compared to the other catalysts, properties that influenced the catalytic performance.