O-204 Catalytic Performance of Limonite Ores in the Decomposition of Model Compounds of Biomass-Derived Tar

Abstract

Catalytic decomposition of 480ppm toluene in 15vol.% H_2O/45vol.% H_2/He with limonite ores, which are mainly composed of α-FeOOH, has been studied with a fixed bed reactor. An unsupported limonite catalyst is quite active, and toluene conversion reaches almost 100% at 500℃. When the temperature is raised stepwise from 500℃ to 800℃, the reaction path changes from the hydrocracking to the steam reforming. A honeycomb-supported catalyst is also effective, and the conversion is almost 100% at 600℃. The XRD measurements after reaction at 700℃ show the presence of finely-dispersed metallic Fe, which is likely to account for the high performance of these catalysts.