STABILITY, REGENERABILITY AND SULFUR POISONING OF LOW LOADING Rh-BASED CATALYST FOR STEAM REFORMING OF N-DODECANE

0.6wt.% Rh/CeO2 catalyst was synthesized by the Solution Combustion Synthesis (SCS) method, producing a low-cost noble metal-based system due to the simultaneous high dispersion and low metal phase content. The catalyst was characterized by the XRD, N2-physisorption, CO-chemisorption, TPR, TPO and TEM measurements. Deactivation by carbon deposition was investigated in Steam Reforming (SR) of n-dodecane, used as surrogate for diesel fuel, in order to explore the appropriate coke-free reaction conditions. The catalyst regenerability was also investigated. Then, the effect of sulfur poisoning was studied in SR of n-dodecane doped with thiophene, used as model compound for the organic sulfur in diesel fuel. Stability tests were performed at various steam-to-carbon ratio (S/C = 1-2.5), space velocity (GHSV = 16,000-40,000 h-1) and sulfur content (0-100 ppm S).