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.