NaCl induced active hcp Co nanosheet for hydrogen production and formaldehyde abatement by formaldehyde steam reforming

Hydrogen production from formaldehyde is considered as a promising and alternative approach for formaldehyde abatement. The key to realize the idea is to develop a novel catalyst for enhancing the conversion of formaldehyde into hydrogen. In this paper, a rational design of NaCl supported active hcp-Co nanosheet is reported as catalyst for efficient hydrogen production from formaldehyde by steam reforming (FSR). The Co/NaCl catalyst with the mass loading of 8% and the GHSV of 9400 h−1 is optimum to achieve the highest YH2 of 92.2% and the extremely high stability at 450 °C. The hcp-Co nanosheet generated by the strong interaction between Co and NaCl is proved as the main active phase with higher activity towards FSR and better anti-coke ability than fcc-Co. The chemical status of Co and the ionic conductivity of NaCl are proposed as promotional factors on catalytic performance by enhancing the charge transfer during FSR reaction. Water gas shift is proved as the rate-determine step of FSR reaction. This work provides new technology for formaldehyde abatement and hydrogen production, and will impel the effective utilization of formaldehyde and its waste in the future.