Hydrogen Production by Sorption‐Enhanced Steam Glycerol Reforming: Sorption Kinetics and Reactor Simulation

Sorption‐enhanced glycerol reforming, an integrated process involving glycerol catalytic steam reforming and in situ CO 2 removal, offers a promising alternative for single‐stage hydrogen production with high purity, reducing the abundant glycerol by‐product streams. This work investigates this process in a fixed‐bed reactor, via a two‐scale, nonisothermal, unsteady‐state model, highlighting the effect of key operating parameters on the process performance. CO 2 adsorption kinetics was investigated experimentally and described by a mathematical reaction‐rate model. The integrated process presents an opportunity to improve the economics of green hydrogen production via an enhanced thermal efficiency process, the exothermic CO 2 adsorption providing the heat to endothermic steam glycerol reforming, while reducing the capital cost by removing the processing steps required for subsequently CO 2 separation. The operational time of producing high‐purity hydrogen can be enhanced by increasing the adsorbent/catalyst volume ratio, by adding steam to the reaction system and by increasing the inlet reactor temperature. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2105–2118, 2013