Effects of ball milling medium on Cu-Al spinel sustained release catalyst for H2 generation from methanol steam reforming

Using pseudo-boehmite and ultrafine copper hydroxide as the raw materials with n(Cu/Al) = 1:3, the effects of ball milling medium on the Cu-Al spinel sustained release catalysts prepared via the solid-state reaction method are explored. The obtained catalysts are characterized by XRD, BET, and H₂-TPR techniques, and their catalytic properties in methanol steam reforming (MSR) are evaluated. The results demonstrate that Cu-Al spinel solid solution can be synthesized by both dry and wet mechanical ball milling methods, and more Cu²⁺ ions are found to be incorporated into the spinel lattice through the latter method. The crystalline sizes of as-synthesized spinels are similar; however, the specific surface areas and pore volumes are different as well as their reduction properties. Compared with the dry milling method, the wet ball milling method can facilitate the solid phase reaction, generating catalysts with solely spinel crystalline phase, higher specific surface area, and larger pore volume. Furthermore, catalysts derived from the wet milling method demonstrate improved catalytic activity and stability, and lower CO selectivity in MSR. The highest activity is obtained over CuHAl-Ac-950 prepared using ethanol (95%) as the ball milling medium.