Effect of equilibrium shift by using lithium silicate pellets in methane steam reforming

Equilibrium shifting is considered to be effective for promoting H-2 production by methane (CH4) steam reforming. In this study, a packed bed reactor with a mixture of reforming catalyst and CO2 absorbent was used. Pellets of lithium silicate (Li4SiO4), which Toshiba has developed, were applied as the absorbent. This is a report on the relationship between CO2 absorption by Li4SiO4 pellets and the equilibrium-shift effect for overall reactions. Experiments showed that there was a strong influence of temperature on the equilibrium-shift effect. The effect was obvious, which resulted in keeping not only the concentration of H-2 above 93 vol % but also that of CO below 0.2 vol % at 550 degrees C. (C) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.