Perovskite catalysts for the auto-reforming of sulfur containing fuels

The ideal fuel for PEMs and SOFC fuel cells is pure hydrogen, which is not available in nature and thus needs to be produced from other resources. It is a special task to make hydrogen from JP-8 (kerosene-based jet propulsion fuel), which consists of high hydrocarbon and aromatic compounds, as well as contains a significant amount of sulfur (up to 3000ppm).

The auto-thermal reforming (ATR) process is externally energy-intensive and cost-effective method for hydrogen generation. However, it is critical to develop highly efficient, low-cost catalyst. This paper presents a detailed description of a novel combustion approach for synthesis of complex LaFeO3-based catalysts.

The activities of these catalysts for ATR of JP-8 fuel were also tested in unique Micro-Scale Bench-Top Reactor System. Several non-noble (Me=K, Na, Li, Cs, Co, Mo) and noble metals additives (Me=Pt, Pd, Ru, Re) were tested as B-site substitution in La0.6Ce0.4Fe0.8-ZNi0.2MeZO3-δ perovskite to find the compositions that possess stable and effective performance under severe sulfur containing environment.

It was shown that small amounts of potassium (2wt.%) or ruthenium (1wt.%) doped to above perovskite structure significantly increase catalysts activity and lead to their stable performance during reforming of JP-8 fuel with up to 220ppm of sulfur.