Thermal catalytic reforming for hydrogen production with zero CO 2 emission

• DOI: 10.1126/science.adt0682
• Publication Date: 2025-02-13T19:08:56Z
• Authors: Mi Peng; Yuzhen Ge; Rui Gao; Jie Yang; Aowen Li; Zhiheng Xie; Qiaolin Yu; Jie Zhang; Hiroyuki Asakura; Hui Zhang; Zhi Liu; Qi Zhang; Jin Deng; Jihan Zhou; Wu Zhou; Graham J. Hutchings; Ding Ma

Carbon-neutral hydrogen production is of key importance for the chemical industry of the future. We demonstrate a new thermal catalytic route for the partial reforming of ethanol into hydrogen and acetic acid with near-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This reaction is enabled by a catalyst containing a high density of atomic Pt 1 and Ir 1 species supported on a reactive alpha-molybdenum carbide substrate, achieving a hydrogen production rate of 331.3 millimoles of hydrogen per gram catalyst per hour and an acetic acid selectivity of 84.5% at 270°C, and is therefore more energy-efficient compared with standard reforming. Techno-economic analysis of partial ethanol reforming demonstrates the potential profitability for operation at an industrial scale, presenting the opportunity to produce hydrogen and acetic acid with a substantially reduced carbon dioxide footprint.