Microwave driven steam reforming of biomass model tar based on metal organic frameworks (ZIF-67) derived Co/C catalyst

Tar catalytic removal is a key issue in biomass gasification , which is suffering from catalyst coking and sintering. Microwave technology is attractive due to the high activity on polar molecules and ability to lower activation energy . In this study, the Co/C derived from metal-organic frameworks (ZIF-67) was developed as a bifunctional microwave catalyst that can strengthen the interaction between microwave and tar catalytic reforming , and enhance the anti-coking and sintering ability. The effects of the temperature, heating method, tar concentration, and catalyst support on model tar conversion rate were investigated. The operating conditions at 700 °C and tar concentration lower than 20 g/m 3 can reach a promising conversion rate over 90.15 % under microwave irradiation . On the one hand, microwave heating groups performed better in conversion rate and coking compared to conventional heating, due to the active species generated from the microwave plasma . On the other hand, Co/C showed better performance in catalytic activity and sintering stability, due to the highly dispersion of cobalt nanoparticles and the confinement effect of carbon nanotubes on the catalyst surface . These findings proposed a novel approach for efficient biomass tar removal under microwave irradiation, and offered a potential tool to further reveal the mechanism in microwave driven tar steam reforming system.