COx-free hydrogen production by catalytic decomposition of CH4 over mesoporous magnesium aluminate supported Ni catalysts

Catalytic decomposition of methane is an essential process of hydrogen production and carbon nanofibers. In this work, the performance of catalysts with various Ni contents supported on mesoporous nanostructured magnesium aluminate powders was studied in catalytic decomposition of methane (CDM) for COx-free hydrogen production. The hydrogen produced can be used directly for the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The supports were prepared by a surfactant free self-assembly and fast sol–gel process. This technique resulted in production of the catalysts with high surface area and mesoporous structure. The samples were characterized by XRD, BET, and SEM methods. The Ni/MgO.Al2O3 catalysts with the highest amount of Ni possessed a suitable catalytic performance with time on stream. Increasing in nickel loading led to an enhancement in conversion of methane and also the amount of accumulated carbon. The results also showed that the increase in reaction temperature decreased the diameter and the length of carbon nanofibers.

Keywords:

Methane Decomposition , Sol-gel , Hydrogen , Nickel , Magnesium Aluminate