Comparison between Ni-Rh/gadolinia doped ceria catalysts in reforming of propane for anode implementations in intermediate solid oxide fuel cells

Steam and autothermal reforming of propane over Ni-Rh/GDC catalysts prepared by coprecipitation and by Pechini method were investigated in the temperature range 873-1073 K. The weight ratio for Ni, Rh and Ce(0.8)Gd(0.2)O(2) (45: 5: 50) and the operating temperatures were chosen in order to gain propaedeutical information on fuel reactivity under typical intermediate solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) operating conditions. The Pechini synthesis allows to obtain catalysts with lower surface area, smaller nickel crystallites and a bimodal distribution of rhodium in comparison to the coprecipitation method. Despite the different methods of synthesis lead to catalysts with different morphological and structural properties, the activity of catalysts is quite similar. At reaction temperature higher than 973 K, under both steam reforming (SR) and autothermal reforming (ATR), the catalysts show high propane conversion and syngas (H(2) + CO) productivity. Deactivation of catalysts was observed at 873 and 973K under SR conditions due to coke formation. In ATR, coke formation was almost completely depressed and the catalysts resulted to be very stable even at low reaction temperature (873 K). In SR coke formation occurs with higher rate on the catalyst having higher Ni dispersion, probably since propane cracking reaction is the pre-eminent phenomenon in promoting coke formation.