Aqueous Phase Reforming of Sorbitol for Value Added Chemicals Production

• Main Author: Mohamad Daud, Nur Fatin Dariah
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: IRC 2015
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/16315/1/15668_SEPT2015.pdf; http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/16315/

Biomass has been considered as the only sustainable source of energy and organic carbon for our industrial society. Biomass is a highly useful and renewable resource countless potential for utilization as a basis for hydrogen production. The behaviour of polyol (sorbitol) from hemicelluloses was investigated in aqueous phase reforming over supported Ni/Alumina catalysts. The effects of metal loading on the Ni/Alumina support on the catalytic performance were also studied. The objectives of this project which are to synthesize and characterize Ni/Alumina catalyst promoted by Ca for aqueous phase reforming (APR) of sorbitol and to conduct APR of sorbitol in order to identify the value added chemical that produced are investigated. The catalysts were synthesized by using several techniques such as Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and H2- Temperature Programmed Reduction (H2-TPR) to distinguish its characteristics. The TGA results shows that the optimum calcination temperature for all the catalysts is at 500oC. Prior the catalytic activity test, all the catalysts were reduced in hydrogen flow by using the Tubular Furnace Reactor (TFR).