A holistic approach to include SiC and design the optimal extrudate catalyst for hydrogen production–reforming routes

Reforming processes are the backbone of hydrogen production routes, given the flexibility of their feedstock, such as methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia, waste plastics, or biomass. Heat transfer is a drawback at the industrial scale, reducing efficiency. We incorporate SiC in the technical composite, extrudate catalyst and develop a holistic approach to optimize and understand the effect of each constituent and its mixtures. We apply Ni-Ce as an active phase, bentonite or kaolin as a binder, alumina as a filler, and carborundum as the heat-transport carrier. We characterize the extrudate catalysts using various techniques, including crushing strength and thermal conductivity. We test the samples in the steam reforming of a model molecule, calculate the kinetics and deactivation, perform a multivariate analysis, and model an industrial reformer. The results lead to optimal catalyst formulations, demonstrating the authentic influence of individual and combined constituent at multiple scales: reaction, deactivation, properties, and reactor performance.