Abstract
The auto-thermal reforming (ATR) of acetic acid is an effective hydrogen production method, but it suffers from catalyst deactivation by coking. Sm-promoted layered La(2)NiO(4) perovskite catalysts were synthesized via the sol-gel method and its catalytic performance in the ATR of HAc was further evaluated. The characterization results demonstrate that the incorporation of Sm into the lattice of La(2)NiO(4) perovskite led to the formation of Ni-La-Sm-O species, inducing crystal defects in the perovskite structure which could promote the gasification of coking precursors. Additionally, Sm regulated the reduction characteristics of La(2)NiO(4), resulting in the formation of highly dispersed nickel nanoparticles upon the hydrogen reduction, which increased the number of active sites available for acetic acid conversion. Consequently, a stable reactivity without obvious coking was obtained over a Ni(0.42)La(0.7)Sm(0.36)O(2.01±δ) catalyst within the ATR of Hac. The hydrogen yield reached 2.53 mol-H(2)/mol-HAc along with the complete conversion of acetic acid.