Modulation of Fe-based oxygen carriers by low concentration doping of Cu in chemical looping process: Reactivity and mechanism based on experiments combined with DFT calculations

Theoretical Study of the Reactive Mechanisms of Li-Doped Ni-Based Oxygen Carrier during Chemical Looping Combustion

Ni-based oxygen carriers (OCs) are considered promising materials in the chemical looping combustion (CLC) process. However, the reactivity of Ni-based OCs still offers the potential for further enhancement. In this work, the Li doping method has been employed for the modification of Ni-based OCs. The reactivity and microreaction mechanisms of different concentrations of Li-doped Ni-based OCs with CO in CLC are clarified using density functional theory (DFT) simulation. The structures, energy, and density of states are obtained through computational investigation of the reaction path in elementary reactions. The results show that (1) the adsorption energies of CO molecules on NiO surfaces with 4, 8, and 12% Li doping concentrations are -0.53, -0.48, and -0.54 eV, respectively, demonstrating an enhanced reactivity compared to that of pure NiO (-0.41 eV); (2) the calculation of the transition state indicates that the most favorable pathway for CO oxidation takes place on the surface of NiO with an 8% Li doping concentration, exhibiting the lowest energy barrier of 0.51 eV; and (3) the oxygen vacancy formation energies on the surface of NiO are 3.05, 2.30, and 2.10 eV for 4, 8, and 12% doping concentrations, respectively. Additionally, the decrease in oxygen vacancy formation energies exhibits a gradual decline with an increasing Li doping concentration. By comprehensive analysis, 8% is considered to be the optimal doping concentration of NiO for chemical looping combustion.

Chemical looping steam reforming of glycerol for hydrogen production over NiO-Fe2O3/Al2O3 oxygen carriers

Fe-based oxygen carriers (OCs) are widely used in chemical looping steam reforming (CLSR) due to excellent resistance to carbon buildup, low toxicity, and high activity. In this study, a type of nano NiO-Fe2O3/Al2O3 Fe-based OC that can easily be reduced by fuels and re-oxidized by air was developed for use in glycerol CLSR. It was synthesized by co-precipitation and impregnation. Based on the quadratic regression orthogonal model, a quadratic polynomial function was established to investigate the effects of temperature (T), water/carbon ratio (S/C), and loading (M) on hydrogen content (HL) and hydrogen selectivity (S). The OCs were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM/EDX-mapping, TEM, and H2-TPR to determine their physicochemical properties. XPS shows the Fe phase highly interacted with the Al2O3 supporting matrix by forming Fe aluminates in NiO-Fe2O3/Al2O3. The S (85.33%) and HL (78.41%) were obtained under the optimal conditions T = 600 °C, S/C = 1.0 mol mol-1 and M = 0. A hydrogen content fluctuation within 4% was obtained under T = 700 °C, S/C = 1.0 mol mol-1, and M = 2.5%, which means the cycle stability is perfect because of the addition of Ni. This study provides a basis for the development of efficient oxygen carriers in the CLSR system.