Hydrogen by thermocatalytic decomposition of methane

The production of hydrogen by the thermocatalytic decomposition of methane was investigated. Iron-based catalyst was synthesized using a fixed-bed flow reactor under atmospheric pressure and at temperatures range from 800 to 900°C. Two reacting gases were used to prepare the catalyst and methane was chosen due to the shortest catalyst preparation time equals to 2 h at 900°C and elimination of the need for a separate source of hydrogen at the plant site. The material characterization of the iron-based catalyst was performed by SEM, TEM, BET, XRD and particle size analysis. The mechanism of methane decomposition for the catalysts was determined and kinetic parameters were estimated using topochemical model postulated by Avrami-Erofeyev. Over 98% conversion of methane was obtained after 5 h of work of prepared catalyst and neither catalyst deactivation nor blockage of the packing was observed for over 75 h.