Hydrogen production by aqueous phase reforming of biomass-derived glycerol over cobalt-based catalysts

Abstract

In the current context regarding the increase in energy demand and the need to decarbonize the global energy system to avoid even further deterioration of the on-going climate change crisis, hydrogen is a promising energy alternative. The use of hydrogen, produced from biomass, would drastically reduce CO2 emissions, contribute to reducing the current dependence on fossil fuels and, due to its greater availability, would improve the economic situation of many countries that are still plagued by energy poverty. Aqueous-phase reforming (APR) is a suitable and energy-efficient alternative process for hydrogen and other high value-added chemical production.This Doctoral Thesis aims to contribute to a development of new cobalt aluminate-based catalysts for glycerol valorisation through H2 production by APR establishing a structure-activity relationship. This research provides further insight into the aqueous-phase reforming of biomass-derived oxygenated compounds, the effect of operating conditions, the correlation with liquid-phase WGS reaction and the feasibility of crude bioglycerol as a feedstock.