Abstract
The removal of tar and CO(2) represents a critical challenge in the production of biomass gasification syngas, necessitating the development of advanced catalytic systems. In this study, plasma-enhanced catalytic CO(2) reforming was employed to remove biomass tar, with toluene selected as a model compound for biomass tar. Supported Ni(x)-Fe(y)/Al(2)O(3) catalysts, with varying Ni/Fe molar ratios (3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3), were synthesized for the CO(2) reforming of toluene in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) non-thermal plasma reactors. The experiments were conducted at 250 °C and ambient pressure. The effects of various Ni/Fe molar ratios, discharge powers, and CO(2) concentrations on DBD plasma-catalytic CO(2) reforming of toluene to synthesis gas were analyzed. The results indicate that CO and H(2) are the primary gaseous products of toluene decomposition, with the selectivity for these gaseous products increasing with the discharge power. Increasing discharge power leads to a higher selectivity for CO and H(2) production. A CO(2)/C(7)H(8) ratio of 1.5 was found to effectively enhance the catalytic performance of the system, leading to the highest toluene conversion and syngas selectivity. The selectivity of the Ni(x)-Fe(y)/Al(2)O(3) catalysts for H(2) and CO follows the following order: Ni(3)-Fe(1)/Al(2)O(3) > Ni(2)-Fe(1)/Al(2)O(3) > Ni(1)-Fe(1)/Al(2)O(3) > Ni(1)-Fe(2)/Al(2)O(3) > Ni(1)-Fe(3)/Al(2)O(3). Notably, the Ni(3)-Fe(1)/Al(2)O(3) catalyst exhibits a high CO(2) adsorption capacity due to its strong basicity, demonstrating significant potential for both tar conversion and carbon resistance.