Decomposition of methane over alumina supported Fe and Ni–Fe bimetallic catalyst: Effect of preparation procedure and calcination temperature

Catalytic decomposition of methane has been studied extensively as the production of hydrogen and formation of carbon nanotube is proven crucial from the scientific and technological point of view. In that context, variation of catalyst preparation procedure, calcination temperature and use of promoters could significantly alter the methane conversion, hydrogen yield and morphology of carbon nanotubes formed after the reaction. In this work, Ni promoted and unpromoted Fe/Al₂O₃ catalysts have been prepared by impregnation, sol–gel and co-precipitation method with calcination at two different temperatures. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ physisorption, temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. The catalytic activity was tested for methane decomposition reaction. The catalytic activity was high when calcined at 500 °C temperature irrespective of the preparation method. However while calcined at high temperature the catalyst prepared by impregnation method showed a high activity. It is found from XRD and TPR characterization that disordered iron oxides supported on alumina play an important role for dissociative chemisorptions of methane generating molecular hydrogen. The transmission electron microscope technique results of the spent catalysts showed the formation of carbon nanotube which is having length of 32–34 nm. The Fe nanoparticles are present on the tip of the carbon nanotube and nanotube grows by contraction–elongation mechanism. Among three different methodologies impregnation method was more effective to generate adequate active sites in the catalyst surface. The Ni promotion enhances the reducibility of Fe/Al₂O₃ oxides showing a higher catalytic activity. The catalyst is stable up to six hours on stream as observed in the activity results.     

Influence of Support Type and Metal Loading in Methane Decomposition over Iron Catalyst for Hydrogen Production

Natural gas resources, stimulate the method of catalytic methane decomposition. Hydrogen is a superb energy carrier and integral component of the present energy systems, while carbon nanotubes exhibit remarkable chemical and physical properties. The reaction was run at 700 °C in a fixed bed reactor. Catalyst calcination and reduction were done at 500 °C. MgO, TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ supported catalysts were prepared using a co‐precipitation method. Catalysts of different iron loadings were characterized with BET, TGA, XRD, H₂‐TPR and TEM. The catalyst characterization revealed the formation of multi‐walled nanotubes. Alternatively, time on stream tests of supported catalyst at 700 °C revealed the relative profiles of methane conversions increased as the %Fe loading was increased. Higher %Fe loadings decreased surface area of the catalyst. Iron catalyst supported with Al₂O₃ exhibited somewhat higher catalytic activity compared with MgO and TiO₂ supported catalysts when above 35% Fe loading was used. CH₄ conversion of 69% was obtained utilizing 60% Fe/Al₂O₃ catalyst. Alternatively, Fe/MgO catalysts gave the highest initial conversions when iron loading below 30% was employed. Indeed, catalysts with 15% Fe/MgO gave 63% conversion and good stability for 1 h time on stream. Inappropriateness of Fe/TiO₂ catalysts in the catalytic methane decomposition was observed.     

Catalytic decomposition of CH4 over Ni-Al2O3-SiO2 catalysts: Influence of pretreatment conditions for the production of H2

This article reports the production of COx free hydrogen and carbon nanofibers by the catalytic decomposition of methane over Ni-Al2O3-SiO2 catalysts. The influence of reaction temperature, pretreatment temperature, and effect of reductive pretreatment on the decomposition of methane activity is investigated. The physico-chemical characteristics of fresh and deactivated samples were characterized using BET-SA, XRD, TPR, SEM/TEM, CHNS analyses and correlated with the methane decomposition results obtained. The Ni-Al-Si （4 ： 0.5 ： 1.5） catalyst reduced with hydrazine hydrate produced better H2 yields of ca. 1815 mol H2/mol Ni than the catalyst reduced with 5% H2/N2.     

甲烷部分氧化制合成气Ni/MgO和Ni-MgO/MgO催化剂的研究

甲烷氧化偶联制乙烷、乙烯以及甲烷选择氧化制甲醇、甲醛等反应 ,因其转化率和收率低 ,故短期内无法实现工业化 .目前 ,工业上应用甲烷蒸汽转化制合成气 ,进而合成氨等化工产品 .甲烷蒸汽转化制的合成气 ,其 H2 /CO≥ 3,不适用于甲醇合成和 F- T合成 .而甲烷部分氧化制的合成气 ,其H2 /CO≤ 2 ,因而最适合用于甲醇合成和 F- T合成 ,故近 1 0年来倍受科学家的关注[1 ,2 ] .在 CH4部分氧化制合成气中 ,钌、铑、钯、铂等贵金属催化剂的活性高、选择性好、稳定性好[1 ] ,但价格昂贵 (负载量以 1 2 %～ 4 0 %为佳 ) ,因而难以实现商品化 .N…     

Enhanced methane decomposition over transition metal-based tri-metallic catalysts for the production of COx free hydrogen

In this study, COx-free hydrogen production via methane decomposition was studied over Cu–Zn-promoted tri-metallic Ni–Co–Al catalysts. The catalysts have been prepared by the constant pH co-precipitation method, and the nominal Ni metal loading was fixed at 50 wt % along with other metals at 10 wt% each. The catalyst activity for methane decomposition reaction was examined in a reactor between 400 °C and 700 °C and at atmospheric pressure. Different techniques such as N₂-physisorption, X-ray diffraction, H₂-TPR SEM, TEM, ICP-MS, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy were applied to characterize the catalysts. The relation between the catalyst composition and their catalytic activity has been investigated. The controlled synthesis has resulted in a series of catalysts with a high surface area. Ni–Co–Cu–Zn–Al was the most active and productive catalyst. Various characterizations indicate that the promotional effects of Cu–Zn interaction were the critical factor in catalysts' activity and stability. Ni–Co–Cu–Zn catalyst gave the highest methane conversion of 85% at 700 °C. Zn addition improves the stability of the catalyst by retaining the active metal size during the decomposition reaction. The catalyst was active for 80 h of stability study. The rapid deactivation of the Ni–Co catalyst was due to the sintering of the catalyst at 650 °C. Moreover, carbon species accumulated during the methane decomposition reaction depend on the catalysts' composition. Zn promotes the growth of reasonably long and thin carbon nanotubes, whereas the diameter of carbon nanotubes on unpromoted catalysts was large.     

Nickel catalysts supported on MgO with different specific surface area for carbon dioxide reforming of methane

In this paper, three kinds of MgO with different specific surface area were prepared, and their effects on the catalytic performance of nickel catalysts for the carbon dioxide reforming of methane were investigated. The results showed that MgO support with the higher specific surface area led to the higher dispersion of the active metal, which resulted in the higher initial activity. On the other hand, the specific surface area of MgO materials might not be the dominant factor for the basicity of support to chemisorb and activate CO₂, which was another important factor for the performance of catalysts. Herein, Ni/MgO(CA) catalyst with proper specific surface area and strong ability to activate CO₂ exhibited stable catalytic property and the carbon species deposited on the Ni/MgO(CA) catalyst after 10 h of reaction at 650 °C were mainly activated carbon species.     

Influence of a Fe/activated carbon catalyst and reaction parameters on methane decomposition during the synthesis of carbon nanotubes

In our experimental work on carbon nanotubes synthesis, the influence of pre-treatment and reaction temperature conditions over Fe catalyst loaded on low-cost activated carbon (AC) in the catalytic chemical vapor deposition of methane was studied. Catalyst with the metal concentration of 5 mass % calcined at 350°C and reduced at 450°C was effective in CH₄ decomposition giving 98 % conversions. TEM images showed that thin multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with the average internal diameter of ∼ 8 nm and the wall thickness of ∼ 2.5 nm were obtained over unreduced Fe/AC catalyst at the reaction temperature of 850°C. On the other hand, broader filamentous nanostructures with the diameter of ∼ 22 nm and the wall thickness of ∼ 3.72 nm were observed over reduced catalyst.     

Effect of Nano‐support and Type of Active Metal on Reforming of CH4 with CO2

Two series of Co and Ni based catalysts supported over commercial (ZrO₂, CeO₂, and Al₂O₃) nano supports were investigated for dry reforming of methane. The catalytic activity of both Co and Ni based catalysts were assessed at different reaction temperatures ranging from 500—800 °C; however, for stability the time on stream experiments were conducted at 700 °C for 6 h. Various techniques such as N₂ adsorption‐desorption isotherm, temperature‐programmed reduction (H₂‐TPR), temperature‐programmed desorption (CO₂‐TPD), temperature‐programmed oxidation (TPO), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were applied for characterization of fresh and spent catalysts. The catalytic activity and stability tests clearly showed that the performance of catalyst is strongly dependent on type of active metal and support. Furthermore, active metal particle size and Lewis basicity are key factors which have significant influence on catalytic performance. The results indicated that Ni supported over nano ZrO₂ exhibited highest activity among all tested catalysts due to its unique properties including thermal stability and reducibility. The minimum carbon deposition and thus relatively stable performance was observed in case of Co‐Al catalyst, since this catalyst has shown highest Lewis basicity.     

Ni/SiO2催化剂上甲烷催化裂解制氢

研究了固定床反应器上甲烷在Ni/SiO2催化剂上的裂解反应，并分别用O2、H2O进行催化剂失活/活化循环实验，并对催化剂用XRD进行分析。结果表明,Ni/SiO2催化剂具有良好的催化性能,甲烷转化率～40%，并能在150 min的时间内保持其活性，无论是用空气氧化还是水蒸气汽化，都能有效地活化已失活的催化剂。XRD实验显示，多次裂解－再生循环过程，对催化剂结构没有明显破坏。     

Investigation of Fe−Ni Mixed‐Oxide Catalysts for the Reduction of NO by CO: Physicochemical Properties and Catalytic Performance

A series of Fe?Ni mixed‐oxide catalysts were synthesized by using the sol–gel method for the reduction of NO by CO. These Fe?Ni mixed‐oxide catalysts exhibited tremendously enhanced catalytic performance compared to monometallic catalysts that were prepared by using the same method. The effects of Fe/Ni molar ratio and calcination temperature on the catalytic activity were examined and the physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, N₂‐adsorption/‐desorption isotherms, temperature‐programmed reduction with hydrogen (H₂‐TPR), temperature‐programmed desorption of nitric oxide (NO‐TPD), and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that the reduction behavior, surface oxygen species, and surface chemical valence states of iron and nickel in the catalysts were the key factors in the NO elimination. Fe_0.5Ni_0.5O_x that was calcined at 250 °C exhibited excellent catalytic activity of 100 % NO conversion at 130 °C and a lifetime of more than 40 hours. A plausible mechanism for the reduction of NO by CO over the Fe?Ni mixed‐oxide catalysts is proposed, based on XPS and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) analyses.     

CVD growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes with narrow diameter distribution over Fe/MgO catalyst and their fluorescence spectroscopy

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with a narrow diameter distribution are synthesized by thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of methane over Fe/MgO catalyst on the basis of parametric study considering Fe loading, reaction temperature and time, methane concentration, and structure of a support material. We found that the porous MgO support gives the SWNTs with a narrow diameter distribution with the mean diameter and standard deviation of 0.93 and 0.06 nm, respectively, only when the Fe loading and reaction temperature are relatively low. The higher Fe loading and/or the higher reaction temperature enlarged the nanotube diameter, forming double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) in addition to SWNTs. This result indicates that only the diameter of Fe nanoparticles determines the growth of either SWNTs or DWNTs on the MgO support. The fluorescence and absorption spectra of the nanotube dispersion in D(2)O solution with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were studied to identify their chirality distribution. The fluorescence of the uniform-diameter SWNTs indicates the formation of the near armchair structures. On the other hand, the SWNTs synthesized over the catalyst with a high Fe loading, 3 wt %, showed a wide chirality distribution including the near zigzag structure. The synthesis of the SWNTs with a narrow diameter distribution could be applied to the selection of SWNTs with a specific chirality based on postsynthesis separation.     

助剂铬对Ni/MgO催化剂CVD法制备碳纳米管的促进作用

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了助剂Cr改性的Ni/MgO催化剂, 用化学气相沉积(CVD)法在600 ℃下裂解甲烷生长碳纳米管, 研究了助剂Cr的引入对催化剂微结构和制备碳纳米管性能的影响. 催化剂样品用XRD, TPR和CO-TPD进行了分析, 制备的碳纳米管用TEM和XRD进行了表征. 实验结果表明, NiO和MgO之间存在着强相互作用而形成固溶体, Ni/MgO催化剂经氢气处理后其中的镍氧化物只有极少部分被还原成为镍. 助剂铬的引入明显促进了镍的还原, 使得催化剂表面的Ni活性中心数增多, 从而使催化剂的活性和性能得到了明显的改进. 在加入助剂后碳纳米管的产率明显增加, 当Cr质量分数为8%时, 碳纳米管的产量为未加助剂时产量的5倍, 碳纳米管和催化剂的质量比达到1928. 当Cr含量进一步增加时, Ni在催剂表面聚集形成大颗粒, 制备出的产品中含有大量的碳纳米纤维和无定形碳. 以8%Cr-Ni/MgO催化剂合成的碳纳米管具有比较高的产率且质量较好.     

Synthesis, characterization and activity of Co and Ni catalysts supported on AlMe (Me?=?Zn, Zr, Ti) mixed oxides

Binary Al?CTi, Al?CZr and Al?CZn oxides, prepared by the sol?Cgel method were used as supports of catalytic systems. The catalysts were prepared by impregnation of these supports with the low cost Co or Ni nitrate salts and subsequent calcination at 700?°C. Catalysts have been characterized by S_BET, XRD and TPR techniques. The catalysts were tested in ethanol partial oxidation using a fixed-bed quartz reactor at atmospheric pressure and temperature at 600?°C. In test reactions a constant feed composition was used with O₂/EtOH molar ratio of 0.75 in nitrogen balance. The catalytic performance of the systems depends on type of support and type of promoter. Hydrogen and CO are the predominant products beside some by-products in different quantities (CO₂, methane, ethylene, acetaldehyde, acetone, acetic acid). The Co and Ni catalysts supported on AlZn binary oxide showed the highest selectivity to hydrogen and to carbon monoxide with full ethanol conversion. Selectivity of hydrogen follows the order of Co(Ni)AlZn?>?Co(Ni)AlTi?>?Co(Ni)AlZr. The best performance was obtained by NiAlZn catalyst with 89?% hydrogen selectivity.     

氧化铝担载的贵金属铱基催化剂的制备及其对甲醇裂解反应的催化性能

 以ZrO2, La2O3或MgO为助剂制备了氧化铝担载型铱基催化剂,考察了其对甲醇裂解反应的催化性能,并用X射线光电子能谱、程序升温还原、 H2程序升温脱附和CO程序升温脱附等技术对催化剂进行了表征. 结果表明, ZrO2, La2O3和MgO助剂的引入均能提高主产物氢气和CO的选择性. ZrO2是甲醇裂解反应的优良助剂,可以显著提高甲醇的转化率和氢气的收率. 氧化铝担载型贵金属铱基催化剂上存在强的氢溢流现象,这使催化剂具有良好的反应性能,同时有利于产物的脱附,氧化物助剂的加入能够进一步促进氢的溢流.     

高稳定度CH4/CO2重整Ni/MgO催化剂的研究

用TPR,TPD,TPO,TPMC(程序升温CH₄解离积炭)和活性评价等手段研究了普通浸渍法与载体盐助分散浸渍法制得的CH₄/CO₂重整制合成气Ni基催化剂的性能.结果表明,用载体盐助分散浸渍制备的催化剂Ni-O-Mg间作用较强,吸附CO₂能力较大,CH₄解离积炭量少,因此其稳定性及寿命较好.     

Development of Methane Decomposition Catalysts for CO<Subscript>x</Subscript> Free Hydrogen

Now-a-days, catalytic decomposition of methane (CDM) into hydrogen and carbon is a promising technique for production of fuel cell grade hydrogen. The Ni based catalysts seems promising particularly for the production of CO_x free H₂ by methane decomposition process. The CDM activity and longevity of the Ni based catalysts are mainly influenced by the amount of Ni and type of support material. In this paper the CDM activity results are correlated with NiO crystallite size, Ni metal surface area and acidity of the catalysts. In case of bimetallic catalysts addition of Cu to Ni catalysts lead to enhance the CDM activity at higher temperature thus resulting in the increased concentration of hydrogen in the outlet stream. Finally, some of the carbon-based catalysts are studied for methane decomposition activity at higher temperature. The surface changes over carbon catalysts with methane decomposition are studied using various characterization techniques.     

Effect of Calcination Temperature and Pretreatment with Reaction Gas on Properties of Co/γ‐Al2O3 Catalysts for Partial Oxidation of Methane

The effects of calcination temperature and feedstock pretreatment on the catalytic performance of Co/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalysts were studied for partial oxidation of methane (POM) to synthesis gas, with emphasis on the role of feedstock pretreatment. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by N₂ adsorption, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), H₂ temperature‐programmed reduction (H₂‐TPR), and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the pretreatment of the catalyst by reaction gas significantly improved the catalytic activity and stability for the POM reaction. On the other hand, the effect of calcination temperature was less significant. Although the initial activity was increased by an increased calcination temperature, the catalyst without the feedstock pretreatment suffered a rapid deactivation. The reaction‐atmosphere pretreatment was revealed as a process that mainly modified the surface structure of the catalyst. In that process, the formation of a CoAl₂O₄‐like compound led to high Co metal dispersion after reduction, and the transformation of the carrier into α‐Al₂O₃ occurred over the catalyst surface. Both the high dispersion of cobalt and the presence of α‐Al₂O₃ surface phase were assumed as the important factors resulting in an excellent catalytic performance in terms of high activity and high stability.     

多巴胺为前驱体过渡金属与N共同掺杂的碳纳米管催化剂ORR性能研究

采用多巴胺的自氧化聚合在多壁碳纳米管表面进行聚合沉积修饰,经热处理可得到氮掺杂的碳纳米管催化剂,通过调整沉积次数可控制表面聚多巴胺C-N膜的厚度,从而调控N的掺杂量.研究沉积次数对多壁碳纳米管催化剂表面形貌、化学组成及原子结合形态的影响,并考察N掺杂的多壁碳纳米管催化剂的氧还原反应活性.在此基础上,用多巴胺配合Mn、Fe离子进行共同聚合沉积,热处理后得到Mn(Fe)、N共同掺杂的多壁碳纳米管催化剂,对催化剂进行了多种测试和电化学表征.循环伏安和线性扫描的电化学表征表明,N掺杂可有效提高催化剂的氧还原反应(ORR)活性,C-N膜的厚度会影响催化剂性能,Mn(Fe)-N@MWCNTs催化剂的氧还原活性高于只有N掺杂的催化剂,两种催化剂氧还原反应均为4电子反应路径,可直接将氧气还原成H_2O,且F e-N@MWCNTs催化剂表现出较好的抗甲醇能力.SEM照片可以看到聚多巴胺在碳纳米管表面形成C-N膜;R aman分析表明聚多巴胺沉积后提高了催化剂表面的无序性,缺陷增多;XPS表征显示过渡金属的掺杂改变了CN_x的结合状态.     

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.     

Pyrrolidone ligand improved Cu‐based catalysts with high performance for acetylene hydrochlorination

A series of Cu‐pyrrolidone/spherical activated carbon (SAC) catalysts were prepared via a simple incipient wetness impregnation method and then assessed in acetylene hydrochlorination, and the catalytic evaluation result indicated that the 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) ligand was found to be the most effective one to significantly improve the activity and stability of Cu catalyst. The catalyst with the optimal molar ratio of NMP/Cu = 0.25 showed 94.2% acetylene conversion at 180°C and an acetylene gas hourly space velocity of 180 h^?1. Moreover, the acetylene conversion of Cu‐0.25NMP/SAC remained stable over 99.1% for about 220 h under the industrial condition. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses proved that NMP ligand improved the dispersion of Cu species. In addition, hydrogen temperature‐programmed reduction (H₂‐TPR), X‐ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunner–Emmet–Teller (BET) indicated that the additive of NMP was preferential to stabilize the catalytic active Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ species and inhibit the reduction of Cu^α+ to Cu⁰ during the preparation process and reaction, hence restraining the coke deposition. Furthermore, the steady coordination structure between Cu and NMP was confirmed by Fourier‐transform infrared spectra (FT‐IR) and Raman combining with density functional theory (DFT) calculation, which could effectively lower the adsorption energy of catalyst for C₂H₂ and inhibit the serious carbon deposition caused by excessive acetylene self‐accumulation. Our findings suggest that the efficient, well‐stabilized cost‐effective, and environmentally friendly Cu catalyst has great potential in acetylene hydrochlorination.