Photocatalysis-induced partial oxidation of methanol reforming process for producing hydrogen and photocatalyst material

Abstract

A photocatalyst partial oxidation of methanol reforming process can be rapidly started via the use of a photocatalytic reaction at a reaction temperature below 150° C., and hydrogen having a low carbon monoxide content is produced at a high methanol conversion rate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A partial oxidation of methanol reforming process, comprising:
 providing a mixed gas containing methanol and oxygen, wherein a volume ratio of methanol and oxygen is 1:2;   performing an illumination process, wherein the illumination process is performed with a light beam having a wavelength range of 377 nm to 800 nm and an illumination time is 5 minutes to 20 minutes; and   passing the mixed gas through a catalyst material to perform a partial oxidation of methanol reforming reaction after the illumination step is performed to obtain hydrogen, wherein an ignition temperature of the mixed gas passing through the catalyst material to perform the partial oxidation of methanol reforming reaction is less than about 150° C.,   wherein the catalyst material comprises gold-copper and zinc oxide (AuCu/ZnO) and the zinc oxide is used as a support therein, a copper content in the catalyst material is 20 wt % to 50 wt % relative to a total weight of the catalyst material, and a gold content in the catalyst material is 1 wt % to 10 wt % relative to the total weight of the catalyst material.   
     
     
         2 . The partial oxidation of methanol reforming process of  claim 1 , wherein the ignition temperature of the mixed gas passing through the catalyst material to perform the partial oxidation of methanol reforming reaction is less than about 100° C. 
     
     
         3 . The partial oxidation of methanol reforming process of  claim 1 , wherein the ignition temperature of the mixed gas passing through the catalyst material to perform the partial oxidation of methanol reforming reaction is less than or equal to 70° C., and the gold content in the catalyst material is 4 wt %/o to 10 wt %/o relative to the total weight of the catalyst material. 
     
     
         4 . The partial oxidation of methanol reforming process of  claim 3 , wherein a methanol conversion of the catalyst material in the partial oxidation of methanol reforming reaction reaches 95% or above and a hydrogen selectivity reaches 90% or above. 
     
     
         5 . The partial oxidation of methanol reforming process of  claim 1 , wherein a particle size of a gold particle in the catalyst material is about 2 nm to 4 nm. 
     
     
         6 . The partial oxidation of methanol reforming process of  claim 1 , wherein the zinc oxide in the catalyst material is zinc oxide with oxygen vacancy, wherein a particle size of the zinc oxide with oxygen vacancy in the catalyst material is greater than 30 nm, and an oxygen vacancy content in the zinc oxide with oxygen vacancy is 1% to 7%. 
     
     
         7 . A photocatalyst material for a photocatalytic partial oxidation of methanol reforming process, wherein the photocatalyst material comprises gold-copper and zinc oxide (AuCu/ZnO) and the zinc oxide is zinc oxide with oxygen vacancy and is used as a support, a copper content in the photocatalyst material is 20 wt % to 50 wt % relative to a total weight of the catalyst, a gold content in the photocatalyst material is 1 wt % to 10 wt % relative to the total weight of the photocatalyst material, the zinc oxide with oxygen vacancy is formed by calcining zinc oxide under nitrogen for 1.5 hours and calcining under air for 0.5 hours at a calcination temperature of 400° C. to 600° C., and an oxygen vacancy content in the zinc oxide with oxygen vacancy is 1% to 7%. 
     
     
         8 . The photocatalyst material of  claim 7 , wherein a calcination temperature of the zinc oxide with oxygen vacancy in the photocatalyst material is 550° C. and an oxygen vacancy content of the zinc oxide with oxygen vacancy is 5% to 7%. 
     
     
         9 . The photocatalyst material of  claim 7 , wherein a particle size of the zinc oxide with oxygen vacancy in the photocatalyst material is greater than 30 nm. 
     
     
         10 . The photocatalyst material of  claim 7 , wherein the photocatalyst material emits fluorescence in a wavelength range of 450 nm to 600 nm. 
     
     
         11 . The photocatalyst material of  claim 7 , wherein the gold content in the photocatalyst material is 4 wt % to 10 wt % relative to the total weight of the photocatalyst material, and an ignition temperature of the photocatalyst material in the partial oxidation of methanol reforming reaction is less than or equal to 120° C.