Correlation of activity and stability of CuO/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 methanol steam reforming catalysts with Cu/Zn composition obtained by SEM–EDAX analysis q V. Durga Kumari a, * , M. Subrahmanyam a , A. Ratnamala a , D. Venugopal a , B. Srinivas a , M.V. Phanikrishna Sharma a , S.S. Madhavendra b , B. Bikshapathi c , K. Venkateswarlu c , T. Krishnudu c , K.B.S. Prasad c , K.V. Raghavan d a Catalysis Section, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500 007, India b Electron Microscopy Center, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500 007, India c Coal and Gas Technology Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500 007, India d Reaction Engineering Pilot Plant, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500 007, India Received 3 January 2002; received in revised form 16 July 2002; accepted 16 July 2002 Abstract A series of CuO/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 catalysts were prepared and characterized by TPR, surface area, metal area, XRD and SEM–EDAX analysis. These systems were evaluated in the development of a methanol steam reforming catalyst (MSR). A correlation of activity and stability of MSR catalysts with the Cu/Zn ratio derived by SEM–EDAX analysis is observed. The stable activity of these catalysts is also supported by the method of preparation, low temperature reducibility and the presence of reversibly oxidizable Cu species observed by TPR of fresh and used catalysts. Ó 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Steam reforming; Hydrogen production; Cu/Zn Composition 1. Introduction Steam reforming of methanol reaction ðCH 3 OH þ H 2 O ! CO 2 þ 3H 2 Þ is a current inter- est of research to produce hydrogen for fuel cell applications. A fuel cell drive system based on methanol as the fuel consists of a methanol re- former, a catalytic burner and a gas purification unit which reduces the CO content of the hydrogen rich gas and feeds fuel cell. The use of methanol as a liquid fuel avoids the problems concerning the on board storage of hydrogen as an ideal fuel for the fuel cell. The number of publications on this sub- ject in the recent times is an evidence that serious efforts are being made for the development of an integrated reformer [1–5]. However, development Catalysis Communications 3 (2002) 417–424 www.elsevier.com/locate/catcom q IICT Communication No: 4864. * Corresponding author. Fax: +91-40-7160921. E-mail address: durgakumari@iict.ap.nic.in (V. Durga Ku- mari). 1566-7367/02/$ - see front matter Ó 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII:S1566-7367(02)00171-1