A dry reforming process for producing a synthesis gas from a hydrocarbon fuel is described. A feed stream is preheated. The feed stream includes the hydrocarbon fuel and carbon dioxide. The feed stream is flowed to a reactor. The reactor includes a catalyst. Flowing the feed stream to the reactor brings the feed stream into contact with the catalyst in the absence of oxygen and causes a dry reforming reaction within the reactor for a period of time sufficient to reform the hydrocarbon fuel to produce the synthesis gas. The catalyst includes nickel (Ni), lanthanum oxide (La.sub.2O.sub.3), cerium oxide (Ce.sub.2O.sub.3), and platinum (Pt).

In some embodiments, a system for producing synthesis gas, the system including a reactor including a burner, a combustion chamber, and a catalyst chamber, and a mixer upstream of the reactor configured to mix fuel with steam to produce humidified fuel that is provided to the burner of the reactor.

A catalyst in a calcined state has a specific surface area of 20-50 m.sup.2/g of catalyst, and a specific surface area of nickel metal after reduction of the catalyst of 8 to 11 m.sup.2/g, wherein the average particle size of nickel metal is 3-8 nm, the dispersion of the particles is 10-16%, and the content of nickel is 5-15 wt. % based on the weight of calcined catalyst. A support has a specific surface area of 40-120 m.sup.2/g with a pore volume of the support of 0.2-0.4 cm.sup.3/g, wherein the support is selected from a mixture of zirconium oxide and cerium oxide or magnesium oxide, cerium oxide and the ballast being zirconium oxide. The catalyst further contains a promoter selected from the group consisting of palladium and ruthenium, in an amount of from 0.01 to 0.5 wt. %. The catalyst is prepared by co-precipitation with ammonium hydroxide from a solution containing nickel, cerium and zirconium precursors and distilled water or from a solution containing nickel, cerium, zirconium, and magnesium precursors and distilled water, and having a pH of 8.0-9.0. The process is carried out under agitation at a temperature of 40-45° C. for 1-2 hours, followed by filtration, drying at a temperature of 100-110° C. for 6-8 hours, and calcining at a temperature of 400-650° C. for 4-6 hours. The invention provides a high average conversion of natural/associated gas of at least 90% in an autothermal reforming reaction of natural or associated gas, and a high synthesis gas output of at least 7000 m.sup.3/m.sup.3.sub.cat.Math.h.

A process for removing hydrocarbons from a feed stream containing hydrocarbons includes introducing ozone to the feed stream to produce an ozone doped stream containing ozone and hydrocarbons, and contacting the ozone doped stream with a supported metal catalyst at a temperature of from 100° C. to 300° C. to produce a treated stream, wherein the supported metal catalyst comprises iron supported on a support selected from aluminosilicates, silica-aluminas, silicates and aluminas. A process for removing NOx from a feed stream containing NOx, and an apparatus for removing hydrocarbons and/or NOx from a feed stream containing hydrocarbons and/or NOx are also provided.

A process is described for steam reforming a hydrocarbon feedstock containing one or more nitrogen compounds, comprising passing a mixture of the hydrocarbon feedstock and steam through a catalyst bed consisting of one nickel steam reforming catalysts disposed within a plurality of externally heated tubes in a tubular steam reformer, wherein each tube has 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, and the steam reforming catalyst at least at the outlet of the tubes is a particulate eggshell steam reforming catalyst comprising 2.5 to 9.5% by weight nickel, expressed as NiO, wherein the nickel is provided in a layer at the surface of the catalyst and the thickness of layer is in the range of 100 to 1000 μm.

A catalyst structure includes a carrier having a porous structure composed of a zeolite type compound and at least one catalytic material existing in the carrier. The carrier has channels communicating with each other, and the catalytic material is a metal fine particle and exists at least in the channel of the carrier.

A method for producing hydrogen includes flowing a first gas along a bayonet flow path of a steam methane reformer (SMR) to produce a first product, including flowing the first gas through a foam disposed along the bayonet flow path; providing the first product produced in the SMR to an input of a water gas shift (WGS) reaction channel defined within a reaction tube of a WGS reactor; and flowing a second gas including the first product through the WGS reaction channel to produce a second product. Flowing the second gas includes flowing the second gas across a heat transfer material disposed in the WGS reaction channel to reduce the temperature of the flowing second gas; and flowing the second gas across a WGS catalyst disposed in the reaction channel.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a pre-reforming catalyst having resistance to deactivation by passage of steam in the absence of a reducing agent comprising ruthenium and an alumina support. Furthermore, the Ru/alumina catalyst according to the present invention becomes much more resistant to deposition of coke with the addition of Ag.

Electrochemical cells for the production of hydrogen from liquid fuels and methods of operating the cells to produce hydrogen and electricity are provided. The electrochemical cells are solid state cells that incorporate a thermochemical conversion catalyst and a hydrogen oxidation catalyst into the anode and utilize solid acid electrolytes. This cell design integrates thermally driven chemical conversion of a starting fuel with electrochemical removal of hydrogen from the conversion reaction zone.

Many embodiments provide the formation of active Pd sites upon steam treatment. Steam treatment of Pd catalysts can improve redox combustion reaction efficiencies. Several embodiments provide the formation of twin boundaries under steam treatment can improve catalytic activities of nanoparticle catalysts.