A Comparative Investigation of PKS Steam Gasification in the Presence of Ni and Fe Bimetallic Catalysts

A comparative study has been conducted using FeNi/BEA and NiFe/BEA in the steam gasification of Palm Kernel Shell (PKS). The different sequence in loading of active metals in the preparation of bimetallic structure, interaction of metals with support, metals transition and reduction were
characterized by physicochemical techniques such as BET, XRD, FESEM-EDX and TPR. Bimetallic Fe and Ni supported on zeolite beta (BEA) were prepared using incipient wetness impregnation method with different calcination temperatures (500-700 ºC). Catalytic activities were tested in a fixed-bed quartz micro reactor at 700 ºC. The results emonstrated that BEA supported bimetallic catalysts possess a good combination of Fe and Ni properties. Both Fe and Ni active metals present in FeNi/BEA and NiFe/BEA catalysts are corresponding to Fe2O3 and NiO. Furthermore, the active
metals incorporated with zeolite beta in bimetallic systems exhibit a strong interaction which stabilizes Fe 3+ and Ni
2+ ions in the lattice. The difference in textural roperties of the catalysts affects the catalytic performance during steam gasification of PKS. Different calcination temperatures also have a significant effect to the precursor where FeNi/BEA (700) and NiFe/BEA (500) show the highest catalytic performance with more hydrogen produced than other catalysts.