DOI: https://doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.20677

Influence of Ni/CeO2 on Pyrolytic Conversion of FOBS to Hydrogen Formation

1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

2Centre of Education Engineering (CEE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Received: 2 Mar 2026; Revised: 10 Apr 2026; Accepted: 10 Apr 2026; Available online: 24 Apr 2026; Published: 30 Oct 2026.
Editor(s): Istadi Istadi
Open Access Copyright (c) 2026 by Authors, Published by BCREC Publishing Group
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Fulltext View|Download

Citation Format:
Cover Image
Abstract

Fuel Oil Blended Stock (FOBS) is a residual byproduct from petroleum refineries that is often underutilized and may cause storage and environmental issues. Converting FOBS into hydrogen through catalytic pyrolysis offers a sustainable waste valorisation pathway; however, no studies have focused on Ni/CeO2 catalysts for hydrogen production from FOBS, which establishes the novelty of this work. This study aims to evaluate the performance of a Ni/CeO2 catalyst for hydrogen production from FOBS via catalytic pyrolysis. A 3% Ni/CeO2 catalyst was synthesized using the wet impregnation method and characterized using XRD, FESEM, BET, and FTIR. Catalytic pyrolysis experiments were conducted in a tubular furnace reactor at temperatures between 400-600 °C, nitrogen flow rates of 40-140 mL/min, and catalyst-to-feedstock ratios of 1:5, 1:10, and 1:15. The gaseous products were analyzed using GC-TCD/FID. The results showed that higher temperatures and catalyst-to-feedstock ratios improved FOBS conversion and hydrogen selectivity, with optimal performance achieved at 600 °C, 90 mL/min, and a catalyst-to-feedstock ratio of 1:15, yielding high conversion, gas yield, and hydrogen selectivity. In conclusion, the Ni/CeO2 catalyst shows strong potential for converting FOBS into hydrogen-rich gas, supporting waste valorisation and sustainable hydrogen production. Copyright © 2026 by Authors, Published by BCREC Publishing Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Keywords: fuel oil blended stock; hydrogen; pyrolysis; catalyst
Funding: Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) under contract FRGS/1/2020/TK0/UTM/02/97); Universiti Teknologi Malaysia under contract Vote 23H01

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: 3rd International Symposium of Reaction Engineering, Catalysis and Sustainable Energy 2025 (RECASE 2025)
Language : EN
Recent articles
Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Metronidazole Using Bismuth Oxide-Doped Erbium Oxide Anchored Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites: Kinetics and Mechanism Improvements in Photocatalytic Activity in Visible Light Destruction of Chlorpyrifos in a Batch Reactor Applying the Z-Scheme g-C3N4/Fe3O4/CuWO4/CuO Heterojunction, Including Fabrication, Characterization, and Recycling Enhanced Acid Orange 7 Adsorption by a Novel Organophosphorus-Modified Bentonite: Performance and Mechanistic Insights Recovery of Gold Nanoparticles from Aqueous Solutions via Hydrogen Peroxide Reduction using Self-Propelled Palm Shell-Supported Manganese Dioxide Composites Influence of Ni/CeO2 on Pyrolytic Conversion of FOBS to Hydrogen Formation Optimized Cobalt-Loaded Palm Oil Fuel Ash (Co/POFA) Catalyst for Syngas Production via Ethanol Dry Reforming More recent articles
  1. Sadeq, A.M., Homod, R.Z., Hussein, A.K., Togun, H., Mahmoodi, A., Isleem, H.F., Patil, A.R., Moghaddam, A.H. (2024). Hydrogen energy systems: Technologies, trends, and future prospects. Science of The Total Environment, 939, 173622. DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2024.173622
  2. Ranizang, W.N.A.A.W., Zakaria, Z.Y., Jusoh, M., Mohammed Yussuf, M.A., Sapari, S. (2025). Thermodynamic Analysis of Naphthyl Compounds by Pyrolysis to Hydrogen. Semarak International Journal of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, 3(1), 68-81. DOI: 10.37934/sijpce.3.1.6881
  3. Teo, M.L., Jusoh, M., Zakaria, Z.Y. (2022). Thermodynamic analysis of fuel oil blended stock (FOBS) model compound, n-eicosane to hydrogen via oxidative cracking. Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 178, 340-355. DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2021.12.020
  4. Schüppel, M., Gräbner, M. (2024). Pyrolysis of heavy fuel oil (HFO) - A review on physicochemical properties and pyrolytic decomposition characteristics for application in novel, industrial-scale HFO pyrolysis technology. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 179, 106432. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaap.2024.106432
  5. Jahirul, M., Rasul, M., Chowdhury, A., Ashwath, N. (2012). Biofuels Production through Biomass Pyrolysis - A Technological Review. Energies, 5(12), 4952-5001. DOI: 10.3390/EN5124952
  6. Jin, H., Hao, J., Yang, J., Guo, J., Zhang, Y., Cao, C., Farooq, A. (2021). Experimental and kinetic modelling study of α-methyl-naphthalene pyrolysis: Part I. Formation of monocyclic aromatics and small species. Combustion and Flame, 233, 111587. DOI: 10.1016/j.combustflame.2021.111587
  7. Lin, B., Wang, J., Huang, Q., Chi, Y. (2017). Effects of potassium hydroxide on the catalytic pyrolysis of oily sludge for high-quality oil product. Fuel, 200, 124-133. DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2017.03.065
  8. Demirbas, A., Al-Ghamdi, K., Sen, N., Aslan, A., Alalayah, W.M. (2017). Gasoline- and diesel- like products from heavy oils via catalytic pyrolysis. Petroleum Science and Technology, 35(15), 1607-1613. DOI: 10.1080/10916466.2017.1336768
  9. Lv, Q., Wang, L., Jiang, J., Ma, S., Liu, L., Zhou, Z., Liu, L., Wang, X., Bai, J. (2022). Catalytic pyrolysis of oil-based drill cuttings over metal oxides: The product properties and environmental risk assessment of heavy metals in char. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 159, 354-361. DOI: 10.1016/j.psep.2021.12.063
  10. Xiang, L., Li, H., Qu, Q., Lin, F., Yan, B., Chen, G. (2022). In-situ catalytic pyrolysis of heavy oil residue with steel waste to upgrade product quality. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 167, 105676. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaap.2022.105676
  11. Greluk, M., Gac, W., Rotko, M., Słowik, G., Turczyniak-Surdacka, S. (2021). Co/CeO2 and Ni/CeO2 catalysts for ethanol steam reforming: Effect of the cobalt/nickel dispersion on catalysts properties. Journal of Catalysis, 393, 159-178. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcat.2020.11.009
  12. Borges, R.P., Moura, L.G., Kanitkar, S., Spivey, J.J., Noronha, F.B., Hori, C.E. (2021). Hydrogen production by steam reforming of propane using supported nickel over ceria-silica catalysts. Catalysis Today, 381, 3-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2021.06.024
  13. Babaei, K., Bozorg, A., Tavasoli, A. (2021). Hydrogen-rich gas production through supercritical water gasification of chicken manure over activated carbon/ceria-based nickel catalysts. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 159, 105318. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaap.2021.105318
  14. Ranizang, W.N.A.A.W., Zakaria, Z.Y., Jusoh, M., Mohammed Yussuf, M.A. (2025). Fuel oil blended stock for carbon product formation via pyrolysis using Ni-Mo/ZSM-5 bimetallic catalyst. Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, 64, 103793. DOI: 10.1016/j.tsep.2025.103793
  15. Rui, N., Zhang, X., Zhang, F., Liu, Z., Cao, X., Xie, Z., Zou, R., Senanayake, S.D., Yang, Y., Rodriguez, J.A., Liu, C.-J. (2021). Highly active Ni/CeO2 catalyst for CO2 methanation: Preparation and characterization. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 282, 119581. DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2020.119581
  16. Nguyen, T., Do, B.L., Nguyen, P.A., Nguyen, T.T.V., Ha, C.A., Hoang, T.C., Luu, C.L. (2024). Nickel/ceria nanorod catalysts for the synthesis of substitute natural gas from CO2: Effect of active phase loading and synthesis condition. Journal of Science: Advanced Materials and Devices, 9(3), 100752. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsamd.2024.100752
  17. Hargreaves, J.S.J. (2016). Some considerations related to the use of the Scherrer equation in powder X-ray diffraction as applied to heterogeneous catalysts. Catalysis, Structure & Reactivity, 2(1-4), 33-37. DOI: 10.1080/2055074X.2016.1252548
  18. Azam, S., Park, S.-S. (2024). Impact of Biosynthesized CeO2 Nanoparticle Concentration on the Tribological, Rheological, and Thermal Performance of Lubricating Oil. Lubricants, 12(11), 400. DOI: 10.3390/lubricants12110400
  19. Mohan, V.B., Jayaraman, K., Bhattacharyya, D. (2020). Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area analysis of different graphene materials: A comparison to their structural regularity and electrical properties. Solid State Communications, 320, 114004. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssc.2020.114004
  20. Zhang, Q., Liao, X., Liu, S., Wang, H., Zhang, Y., Zhao, Y. (2022). Tuning Particle Sizes and Active Sites of Ni/CeO2 Catalysts and Their Influence on Maleic Anhydride Hydrogenation. Nanomaterials, 12(13), 2156. DOI: 10.3390/nano12132156
  21. Naderi, M. (2015). Surface Area. In Progress in Filtration and Separation (585-608). Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-384746-1.00014-8
  22. Nandiyanto, A.B.D., Oktiani, R., Ragadhita, R. (2019). How to Read and Interpret FTIR Spectroscope of Organic Material. Indonesian Journal of Science and Technology, 4(1), 97. DOI: 10.17509/ijost.V4I1.15806
  23. Zhang, C., Dabbs, D. M., Liu, L.-M., Aksay, I. A., Car, R., Selloni, A. (2015). Combined Effects of Functional Groups, Lattice Defects, and Edges in the Infrared Spectra of Graphene Oxide. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 119(32), 18167-18176. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.5B02727
  24. Arslan, A., Doğu, T. (2016). Effect of calcination/reduction temperature of Ni impregnated CeO2-ZrO2 catalysts on hydrogen yield and coke minimization in low temperature reforming of ethanol. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 41(38), 16752-16761. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.07.082
  25. Goren, A.Y., Temiz, M., Erdemir, D., Dincer, I. (2025). The role of effective catalysts for hydrogen production: A performance evaluation. Energy, 315, 134257. DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.134257
  26. Ranizang, W.N.A.A.W., Yussuf, M.A.M., Mahadhir, M., Jusoh, M., Zakaria, Z.Y. (2022). Catalytic Pyrolysis of Fuel Oil Blended Stock for Bio-Oil Production: A Review. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 97, 373-378. DOI: 10.3303/CET2297063
  27. Rakesh, N., Dasappa, S. (2018). Analysis of tar obtained from hydrogen-rich syngas generated from a fixed bed downdraft biomass gasification system. Energy Conversion and Management, 167, 134-146. DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2018.04.092
  28. Dickerson, T., Soria, J. (2013). Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis: A Review. Energies, 6(1), 514-538. DOI: 10.3390/EN6010514
  29. Alshareef, R., Nahil, M.A., & Williams, P.T. (2023). Hydrogen Production by Three-Stage (i) Pyrolysis, (ii) Catalytic Steam Reforming, and (iii) Water Gas Shift Processing of Waste Plastic. Energy & Fuels, 37(5), 3894-3907. DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.2C02934
  30. Wulandari, Y.R., Chen, S.S., Hermosa, G.C., Hossain, M.S.A., Yamauchi, Y., Ahamad, T., Alshehri, S.M., Wu, K.C.W., Wu, H.-S. (2020). Effect of N2 flow rate on kinetic investigation of lignin pyrolysis. Environmental Research, 190, 109976. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109976
  31. Zaman, C.Z., Pal, K., Yehye, W.A., Sagadevan, S., Shah, S.T., Adebisi, G.A., Marliana, E., Rafique, R.F., Johan, R.B. (2017). Pyrolysis: A Sustainable Way to Generate Energy from Waste. In Pyrolysis. InTech. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.69036

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update:

No citation recorded.