Abstract
Catalytic methane decomposition (CMD) is a highly promising approach for the rational production of relatively COx-free hydrogen and carbon nanostructures, which are both important in multidisciplinary catalytic applications, electronics, fuel cells, etc. Research on CMD has been expanding in recent years with more than 2000 studies in the last five years alone. It is therefore a daunting task to provide a timely update on recent advances in the CMD process, related catalysis, kinetics, and reaction products. This mini-review emphasizes recent studies on the CMD process investigating self-standing/supported metal-based catalysts (e.g., Fe, Ni, Co, and Cu), metal oxide supports (e.g., SiO2, Al2O3, and TiO2), and carbon-based catalysts (e.g., carbon blacks, carbon nanotubes, and activated carbons) alongside their parameters supported with various examples, schematics, and comparison tables. In addition, the review examines the effect of a catalyst’s shape and composition on CMD activity, stability, and products. It also attempts to bridge the gap between research and practical utilization of the CMD process and its future prospects.
Highlights
As iron is a promising metal in the catalytic decomposition of methane, many researchers have investigated the catalytic performance of iron in the presence of other elements by synthesizing bimetallic iron catalysts
The authors compared the results with Ni catalysts in the presence and absence of copper using a fluidized catalyst bed reactor to establish the effect of copper as a promoter in Catalytic methane decomposition (CMD)
Authors attributed that high catalytic activity to the carbon nanofibers formed, which worked as support, taking away the catalyst particles and preventing them from sintering
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Hydrogen is produced through steam reforming of methane, auto thermal reforming of methane, water splitting, biomass, and coal gasification with varying levels of efficiency and productivity [5,6,7] Unlike these methods, CMD possesses certain advantages, such as the production of relatively COxfree hydrogen, lower CO2 emission, and feedstock [8]. Another review focused on metal-based (e.g., Ni, Fe, noble metal) catalysts with a special focus on the type of reactors used for COx -free hydrogen production [25]. This review highlights the CMD process focusing on the production of COx-free hydrogen and carbon nanostructures (nanotubes, nanosheets, and flakes) using transition metal-based catalysts (Fe, Ni, Co, and Cu) self-standing or supported on different oxides (SiO2 , Al2 O3 , TiO2 , and La2 O3 ) along with their mechanisms. To avoid the formation of various hydrocarbons, the dehydrogenative coupling should be precluded during the CMD
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