The production of pure hydrogen is one of the most important problems of the modern chemical industry. While high volume production of hydrogen is well under control, finding a cheap method of hydrogen production for small, mobile, or his receivers, such as fuel cells or hybrid cars, is still a problem. Potentially, a promising method for the generation of hydrogen can be oxy-steam-reforming of methanol process. It is a process that takes place at relatively low temperature and atmospheric pressure, which makes it possible to generate hydrogen directly where it is needed. It is a process that takes place at relatively low temperature and atmospheric pressure, which makes it possible to generate hydrogen directly where it is needed. This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge on the catalysts used for the production of hydrogen in the process of the oxy-steam-reforming of methanol (OSRM). The development of innovative energy generation technologies has intensified research related to the design of new catalysts that can be used in methanol-reforming reactions. This review shows the different pathways of the methanol-reforming reaction. The paper presents a comparison of commonly used copper-based catalysts with other catalytic systems for the production of H2 via OSRM reaction. The surface mechanism of the oxy-steam-reforming of methanol and the kinetic model of the OSRM process are discussed.
Keywords: heterogeneous catalysts; hydrogen production; oxy–steam-reforming of methanol; surface reaction mechanism.