Modification of a micro-mesoporous Ni/ZSM-5 catalyst for steam reforming of toluene

A micro-mesoporous Ni/ZSM-5 (ST) catalyst prepared by using starch as template has exhibited high activity for catalytic cracking of toluene and three metal promotors Fe, Co, and Ce were selected to prepare nickel-based bimetallic catalyst to improve the stability of Ni/ZSM-5 (ST) catalyst. The results showed that the catalytic activity of Ni-Fe/ZSM-5 (ST) was poor, the carbon conversion of toluene was lower (only between 50– 60%), but could maintain good stability for a long time. Ni-Co/ZSM-5 (ST) catalyst had the best performance and exhibited better anti‑carbon deposition characteristics. After 11 cycles, the carbon conversion was still 90.99%. By contrast, the carbon conversion of Ni-Ce/ZSM-5 (ST) catalyst dropped below 20%. This study demonstrates that using micro-mesoporous molecular sieve and increasing the proportion of midstrength acid can effectively improve catalytic performance and stability.