Synthesis of Ni-based catalysts by hexamethylenetetramine-nitrates solution combustion method for co-production of hydrogen and nanofibrous carbon from methane

It was shown that hexamethylenetetramine (HMT)is a new effective fuel for single-step solutions combustion synthesis (SCS)of supported Ni catalysts for methane decomposition into hydrogen and nanofibrous carbon. Several generalized chemical equations reflecting different ideas about combustion of the HMT−Ni(NO 3 ) 2 −Cu(NO 3 ) 2 −Al(NO 3 ) 3 −H 2 O system have been derived. On the basis of those equations the adiabatic combustion temperature (T ad )and the amount of gaseous products (n g )have been calculated depending on the ignition temperature (T 1 ), water content (m), excess fuel coefficient (φ), and the composition of the obtained solid product. The calculations have shown that T ad , depending on m and φ, changes from hundreds to thousands of degrees Kelvin. Increase of Al 2 O 3 content in the catalyst up to 0.6 increases T ad by hundreds of degrees, and that increase of the Ni:NiO ratio up to 0.5 lowers T ad by tens of degrees. Three samples of the supported unreduced 0.97NiO/0.03Al 2 O 3 catalyst were successfully prepared with the help of the SCS method using HMT as the fuel at φ=0.7. Those samples, obtained at reaction mixture preliminary heating rates V = 1, 10, 15 K/min were characterised using XRD, TEM, and SEM, and further tested in a pure methane decomposition reaction (100 L CH4 /h/g cat , 823К, 1 bar). Nanoparticles of metal Ni were found in the SCS products, in contrast to cases when other types of fuel were used with

Decomposition of light hydrocarbons on a Ni-containing glass fiber catalyst

The work is devoted to the study of the novel process of catalytic decomposition of light hydrocarbons on a catalyst at temperatures of 550 °С and 600 °C at various pressures. The CVD process is a new COx-free approach for hydrogen production. A glass fiber fabric was used as a catalyst, which was preliminarily modified by the application of additional outer layers of NiO and porous silica. A technical mixture of propane and butane was used as feedstock. The main purpose is to investigate the effects of pressure and temperature on the production of hydrogen and carbon nanofibers over a glass-based catalyst. As a result of the decomposition of the mixture, the yield of hydrogen was 266–848 L/gcat, and that of carbon nanofibers was 3–10 g/gcat. Increasing the pressure of propane-butane mixture decomposition led to an increase of the catalyst lifetime. The highest yield of hydrogen and carbon nanofibers was achieved at 1 bar and 600 °C