This invention relates to a novel nickel catalyst and a novel one-pot solution combustion synthesis of that catalyst for the CO.sub.2 reforming and low temperature steam reformation of methane. The novel nickel catalyst has exceptional activity for dry reforming and steam reforming of methane, and exhibits excellent resilience to deactivation due to carbon formation.

A process for steam reforming a hydrocarbon feedstock containing one or more nitrogen compounds, including passing a mixture of the hydrocarbon feedstock and steam through a catalyst bed of one or more nickel steam reforming catalysts disposed within a plurality of externally heated tubes in a tubular steam reformer, each tube having an inlet to which the mixture of hydrocarbon and steam is fed, an outlet from which a reformed gas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, steam, ammonia and methane is recovered. The steam reforming catalyst at least at the outlet of the tubes comprises nickel dispersed over a porous metal oxide surface present as a coating on a non-porous metal or ceramic structure. The nickel content of the metal oxide coating is in the range of 5 to 50% by weight and the thickness of the coating is in the range of 5 to 150 micrometres.

The present invention provides an impregnated catalyst composition for production of pure hydrogen comprising: 10 wt %-50 wt % metal oxide; 1 wt %-15 wt % promoter; and 60 wt %-90 wt % support material. Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of preparation of an impregnated catalyst for pure hydrogen production (10) and a method for producing pure hydrogen (20) according to the impregnated catalyst of the present invention. The present invention is able to reduce the reaction temperature by 1 to 2 folds and also able to reduce the usage of energy but maintain its good production quality. Besides, selectivity of the present invention is high, hence able to produce high purity of hydrogen.

A method and apparatus for: providing a ceria aerogel and copper nanoparticle catalyst, flowing a hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and water vapor source gas from an inlet into contact with the catalyst to produce a product gas, and flowing the product gas to an outlet. The concentration of carbon monoxide in the product gas is no more than 50% of the concentration of carbon monoxide in the source gas. The concentration of hydrogen in the product gas is no less than 90% of the concentration of hydrogen in the source gas.

A highly compact heat integrated fuel processor, which can be used for the production of hydrogen from a fuel source, suitable to feed a fuel cell, is described. The fuel processor assembly comprises a catalytic reforming zone (29) and a catalytic combustion zone (28), separated by a wall (27). Catalyst able to induce the reforming reactions is placed in the reforming zone and catalyst able to induce the combustion reaction is placed in the combustion zone, both in the form of coating on a suitable structured substrate, in the form of a metal monolith. Fe—Cr—Al—Y steel foils, in corrugated form so as to enhance the available area for reaction, can be used as suitable substrates. The reforming and the combustion zones can be either in rectangular shape, forming a stack with alternating combustion/reforming zones or in cylindrical shape forming annular sections with alternating combustion/reforming zones, in close contact to each other. The close placement of the combustion and reforming catalyst facilitate efficient heat transfer through the wall which separates the reforming and combustion chambers.

The invention relates to a process for the production of hydrogen-enriched synthesis gas by a catalytic water-gas shift reaction, comprising the steps: introducing a gaseous flow (1) comprising at least one organic sulphide, optionally in its oxide form, in a first reactor (2) comprising a catalyst X.sub.1, collecting a sulfur-containing gaseous flow (3) from the first reactor, introducing the raw synthesis gas (4) in a second reactor (6), introducing the sulfur-containing gaseous flow (3) in the second reactor where the catalytic water-gas shift reaction takes place and comprising a sulfur-resistant shift catalyst X.sub.2, collecting an outlet flow (7) comprising hydrogen-enriched synthesis gas from the second reactor.

The invention also relates to the use of said at least one organic sulphide, optionally in its oxide form, in a process for the production of hydrogen-enriched synthesis gas by a catalytic water-gas shift reaction.

A nanocomposite catalyst includes a support, a multiplicity of nanoscale metal oxide clusters coupled to the support, and one or more metal atoms coupled to each of the nanoscale metal oxide clusters. Fabricating a nanocomposite catalyst includes forming nanoscale metal oxide clusters including a first metal on a support, and depositing one or more metal atoms including a second metal on the nanoscale metal oxide clusters. The nanocomposite catalyst is suitable for catalyzing reactions such as CO oxidation, water-gas-shift, reforming of CO.sub.2 and methanol, and oxidation of natural gas.

Here disclosed is a composite catalyst for methane cracking and a method of producing the composite catalyst. The composite catalyst includes a substrate formed of metal oxide, and one or more catalytic transition metals solubilized in the metal oxide, wherein the metal oxide includes a metal which differs from the one or more catalytic transition metals, wherein the metal oxide forms a matrix which the one or more catalytic transition metals are solubilized in to render transition metal ions from the one or more catalytic transition metals, wherein the transition metal ions under a reducing atmosphere diffuse to reside as transition metal nanoparticles at a surface of the substrate and the transition metal nanoparticles under an oxidizing atmosphere diffuse away from the surface to reside as transition metal ions in the metal oxide, and wherein the transition metal nanoparticles at the surface induce carbon from the methane cracking to deposit on the transition metal nanoparticles and have the carbon deposited grow away from the substrate.

A method for preparing biochar and hydrogen by utilizing anaerobic fermentation byproducts, the method including: (1) mixing a first straw, seeding sludge and distilled water, and then carrying out anaerobic fermentation to obtain a mixed product after fermentation; (2) performing separation on the mixed product to obtain a second straw and biogas slurry; and (3) carbonizing the second straw to obtain biochar, and collecting gas after a pressurized catalytic reaction on the biogas slurry to obtain hydrogen.

The present disclosure discloses a catalyst composition comprising: (a) at least one steamed biochar; and (b) at least one tri-metallic catalyst, comprising metals selected from the group consisting of nickel, copper, zinc, and combinations thereof, wherein nickel loading is in the range of 20-60 wt %, the copper loading is in the range of 0.5-5.0 wt %, and the zinc loading is in the range of 0.5-5.0 wt with respect to the at least one steamed biochar. The instant disclosure further relates to a process of preparation of the catalyst composition and a process for production of hydrogen gas and carbon nanotubes.