Enhancing Hydrogen Production from Biogas through Catalyst Rearrangements

Abstract

Recent trends in hydrogen production include using renewable energy sources, e.g., biogas as feedstocks for steam reforming. Crucial to the field is minimizing existing reforming reactors for their applications to fuel cell systems. Here, we present a novel design of a steam reforming reactor for an efficient biogas conversion to hydrogen. The design includes a radial division of the catalytic insert into individual segments and substituting parts of the catalytic material with metallic foam. The segment configuration is optimized using a genetic algorithm to maximize the efficiency of the reactor. Changes in the catalytic insert design influence the thermal conditions inside the reactor, leading to moderation of the reaction rate. This article presents a promising approach to producing hydrogen from renewable sources via steam reforming. A significant enhancement in the reforming process effectiveness is achieved with a notable decrease in the amount of the catalyst used. The final results demonstrate the capability for acquiring a similar level of biogas conversion with a 41% reduction of the catalytic material applied.