Partial oxidation of dimethyl ether to H₂/syngas over supported Pt catalyst

Dimethyl ether (DME) is a non-toxic fuel with high H/C ratio and high volumetric energy density, and could be served as an ideal source of H₂/syngas production for application in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). This study presents results of DME partial oxidation over a 1.5 wt% Pt/Ce_0.4Zr_0.6O₂ catalyst under the condition of gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 15000-60000 ml/(g·h), molar ratio of O₂/DME of 0.5 and 500-700 °C, and this temperature range was also the operation temperature range for intermediate temperature SOFC. The results indicated that the catalyst showed good activity for the selective partial oxidation of DME to H₂/syngas. Under the working conditions investigated, DME was completely converted. Increase in reaction temperature enhanced the amount of syngas, but lowered the H₂/CO ratio and yield of methane; while increase in reaction GHSV resulted in only slight variation in the distribution of products. The good catalytic activity of Pt supported on Ce_0.4Zr_0.6O₂ for the partial oxidation of DME may be directly associated with the good oxygen storage capacity of the support, which is worth of further investigation to develop materials for application in SOFC.