Browsing by Author "Mohamed, Mahadhir"

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    Glycerol steam reforming over copper and nickel supported on ZSM-5 zeolite
    (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2015) Mohamed, Mahadhir
    Biodiesel production, which generates 10% of glycerol (C3H8O3) as a byproduct, has led to an abundance of glycerol waste and a reduction of value. Steam reforming presents an alternative to optimize the use of glycerol by converting it to hydrogen (H2). Direct conversion of glycerol to H2 over copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) with different weight percentage of 0.5 wt% to 10 wt% loaded on zeolite Socony Mobil-5 (ZSM-5) via steam reforming was studied with a focus on the catalyst performance. The characterization of the catalyst was done using x-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared. The results showed that no clear structural change was observed when Cu and Ni were loaded onto ZSM-5. Catalyst screening was done using these modified catalysts for glycerol conversion to H2. It has been observed that catalyst with 5wt%Cu/10wt%Ni loaded on ZSM-5 gave the highest H2 product composition (64%). Temperature was the most significant variable when compared to other variables studied. High H2 composition was obtained when the reaction temperature was between 450 °C and 650 °C. Using statistical design, the optimum H2 yield (3.98 moles H2/mole C3H8O3 converted) was obtained at optimal conditions of temperature at 639 °C, water glycerol molar ratio of 8:1 and 0.65 mL/min of feed flow rate.