Cobalt ferrite for direct cracking of methane to produce hydrogen and carbon nanostructure: Effect of temperature and methane flow rate

Cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) was used as a catalyst for direct methane cracking. The reaction was accomplished in a fixed bed reactor at normal atmospheric pressure, while gas flow rate (20–50 mL/min) and reaction temperature (800–900 °C) were varied. The fresh CoFe₂O₄ morphology is sponge-like particle with inverse spinel structure as revealed from SEM and XRD results. The methane conversions and hydrogen formation rate were increased with reaction temperature, while catalyst stability and induction period decreased. Increases of gas flow rate > 20 mL/min led to a decrease the overall catalytic activity of CoFe₂O₄ for methane cracking. The XRD results of spent catalysts revealed that CoFe alloy was the active phase of methane cracking. TGA analysis showed that the largest amount of deposited carbon was 70.46 % at (20 mL/min, 900 °C), where it was 34.40 % at (50 mL/min, 800 °C). The deposited carbon has the shape of spherical carbon nanostructures and/or nano sprouts as observed with SEM. Raman data confirmed the graphitization type of the deposited carbon.