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The present review focuses on the production of renewable hydrogen through the catalytic steam reforming of bio-oil, the liquid product of the fast pyrolysis of biomass. Although in theory the process is capable of producing high yields of hydrogen, in practice, certain technological issues require radical improvements before its commercialization. Herein, we illustrate the fundamental knowledge behind the technology of the steam reforming of bio-oil and critically discuss the major factors influencing the reforming process such as the feedstock composition, the reactor design, the reaction temperature and pressure, the steam to carbon ratio and the hour space velocity. We also emphasize the latest research for the best suited reforming catalysts among the specific groups of noble metal, transition metal, bimetallic and perovskite type catalysts. The effect of the catalyst preparation method and the technological obstacle of catalytic deactivation due to coke deposition, metal sintering, metal oxidation and sulfur poisoning are addressed. Finally, various novel modified steam reforming techniques which are under development are discussed, such as the in-line two-stage pyrolysis and steam reforming, the sorption enhanced steam reforming (SESR) and the chemical looping steam reforming (CLSR). Moreover, we argue that while the majority of research studies examine hydrogen generation using different model compounds, much work must be done to optimally treat the raw or aqueous bio-oil mixtures for efficient practical use. Moreover, further research is also required on the reaction mechanisms and kinetics of the process, as these have not yet been fully understood.

A promising route for the energetic valorisation of the main by-product of the biodiesel industry is the steam reforming of glycerol, as it can theoretically produce seven moles of H2 for every mole of C3H8O3. In the work presented herein, CeO2–Al2O3 was used as supporting material for Ir, Pd and Pt catalysts, which were prepared using the incipient wetness impregnation technique and characterized by employing N2 adsorption–desorption, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Temperature Programmed Reduction (TPR), Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The catalytic experiments aimed at identifying the effect of temperature on the total conversion of glycerol, on the conversion of glycerol to gaseous products, the selectivity towards the gaseous products (H2, CO2, CO, CH4) and the determination of the H2/CO and CO/CO2 molar ratios. The main liquid effluents produced during the reaction were quantified. The results revealed that the Pt/CeAl catalyst was more selective towards H2, which can be related to its increased number of Brønsted acid sites, which improved the hydrogenolysis and dehydrogenation–dehydration of condensable intermediates. The time-on-stream experiments, undertaken at low Water Glycerol Feed Ratios (WGFR), showed gradual deactivation for all catalysts. This is likely due to the dehydration reaction, which leads to the formation of unsaturated hydrocarbon species and eventually to carbon deposition. The weak metal–support interaction shown for the Ir/CeAl catalyst also led to pronounced sintering of the metallic particles.

The tackling of carbon deposition during the dry reforming of biogas (BDR) necessitates research of the surface of spent catalysts in an effort to obtain a better understanding of the effect that different carbon allotropes have on the deactivation mechanism and correlation of their formation with catalytic properties. The work presented herein provides a comparative assessment of catalytic stability in relation to carbon deposition and metal particle sintering on un-promoted Ni/Al2O3, Ni/ZrO2 and Ni/SiO2 catalysts for different reaction temperatures. The spent catalysts were examined using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy, high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM-HAADF) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the formation and nature of carbonaceous deposits on catalytic surfaces (and thus catalytic stability) depend on the interplay of a number of crucial parameters such as metal support interaction, acidity/basicity characteristics, O2− lability and active phase particle size. When a catalytic system possesses only some of these beneficial characteristics, then competition with adverse effects may overshadow any potential benefits.

In this study, a critical comparison between two low metal (Ni) loading catalysts is presented, namely Ni/Al2O3 and Ni/AlCeO3 for the glycerol steam reforming (GSR) reaction. The surface and bulk properties of the catalysts were evaluated using a plethora of techniques, such as N2 adsorption/desorption, Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP−AES), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscopy / Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDX, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), CO2 and NH3− Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD), and Temperature Programmed Reduction (H2−TPR). Carbon deposited on the catalyst’s surfaces was probed using Temperature Programmed Oxidation (TPO), SEM, and TEM. It is demonstrated that Ce-modification of Al2O3 induces an increase of the surface basicity and Ni dispersion. These features lead to a higher conversion of glycerol to gaseous products (60% to 80%), particularly H2 and CO2, enhancement of WGS reaction, and a higher resistance to coke deposition. Allyl alcohol was found to be the main liquid product for the Ni/AlCeO3 catalyst, the production of which ceases over 700 °C. It is also highly significant that the Ni/AlCeO3 catalyst demonstrated stable values for H2 yield (2.9−2.3) and selectivity (89−81%), in addition to CO2 (75−67%) and CO (23−29%) selectivity during a (20 h) long time-on-stream study. Following the reaction, SEM/EDX and TEM analysis showed heavy coke deposition over the Ni/Al2O3 catalyst, whereas for the Ni/AlCeO3 catalyst TPO studies showed the formation of more defective coke, the latter being more easily oxidized.