Hastelloy, a Ni containing alloy, was investigated to improve its catalytic activity on bio-oil steam reforming by oxidation pretreatment. Methanol as the major composition of bio-oil was used as a model compound. The untreated Hastelloy presented low methanol conversion with high selectivity of methane. After oxidation pretreatment, the Hastelloy showed good activity towards methanol steam reforming. The Cr and Mn promoters on the surface increased with the increase of oxidation temperature, resulting in the improvement of steam reforming activity. The Ni alloy appeared after pretreatment and controlled the oxidation state of Ni, leading to the decrease of methanation. The oxidation pretreatment at 1273 K provided the highest catalytic performance, but the agglomeration apparently occurred. The scales on the surface combined together when the oxidation was longer than two hours. Therefore, the optimal oxidation pretreatment condition was at 1273 K for two hours.
