Process for steam reforming of oxygenates and catalysts for use in the process

A steam reforming catalyst, said steam reforming catalyst consisting of a nickel-containing catalyst for steam reforming, onto which a ternary carbide has been applied as a top layer, said ternary carbide being said nickel zinc carbide catalyst, and

• in which said steam reforming catalyst is prepared by:
• preparing a nickel-containing catalyst by a selected impregnation procedure, wherein the nickel-containing catalyst is reduced using hydrogen and methanol;
• and
• feeding a reaction mixture into a stream of nitrogen and passing it over the catalyst at a suitable temperature under a pressure between ambient pressure and 5 MPa,
• wherein said reaction mixture is obtained by:
• mixing ethanol with water in a ratio corresponding to the reaction C2H5OH+3H2O <→2CO2+6H2;
• and
• adding methanol,
• wherein said temperature is from room temperature up to 800-900° C., and
• wherein said steam reforming catalyst is configured for use in a process for steam reforming of oxygenates, in which a feed gas containing oxygenates is converted into syngas according to the reactions
• C2H5OH+3H2O<→2CO2+6H2 or
• C2H5OH+H2O<→CH4+CO2+H2
• over a nickel zinc carbide catalyst, and which after use shows nickel solely in the form of alloys,
• where the syngas is subsequently either transformed into desired chemicals or mixed into a feed stream to a reformer in a plant, wherein the plant is an ammonia or methanol plant,
• wherein the impregnation procedure is an impregnation of a zinc-alumina spinel with nickel, wherein the Ni-load is 6 wt % Ni or less.