Steam reforming of dimethoxymethane, methanol and dimethyl ether on CuO–ZnO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst

The performance of a СuO–ZnO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst for the reactions of methanol, dimethyl ether (DME) and dimethoxymethane (DMM) steam reforming (SR) to hydrogen-rich gas was studied. The catalyst was found to be active and selective for methanol and DMM SR producing hydrogen-rich gas with low content of CO (<1 vol %). It provided complete conversion of methanol and DMM at 300°C, and hydrogen productivity of, respectively, 15 and 16.5 LH2g cat -1 h-1. With the use of physicochemical methods and catalytic experiments, it was shown that the catalyst surface contained the acid sites typical for γ-Al2O3, and CuO–ZnO agglomerates, responsible, respectively, for DMM hydration to methanol and formaldehyde, and SR of these compounds to hydrogen-rich gas.