Methane decomposition into CO x ‐free hydrogen over a Ni‐based catalyst: An overview

Abstract

Hydrogen is a clean energy medium that can potentially replace fossil fuels in home, industrial, and transportation environments. Nonoxidative catalytic methane decomposition (CMD) is an environmentally friendly process that produces hydrogen and solid carbon as products. Among transition metal catalysts, Ni possesses a high degree of activity for methane decomposition. This article reviews the recent advancement (ie, 2015-2020) of a Ni-based catalyst for CMD and summarizes its performance. It addresses the effect of promoter, metal composition, support materials selection, catalyst synthesis, operating parameters, and reaction mechanism. Besides, other critical aspects for industrial application of CMD such as reactor design and catalyst regeneration are highlighted. Novelty Statement Catalytic methane decomposition is a promising technology for the co-production of COx-free hydrogen and carbon nanomaterials. The Ni-based catalyst possesses a high degree of activity for catalytic methane decomposition. Regeneration by gasification should be considered to extend the operational life of the Ni-based catalyst. A fluidized bed reactor is a suitable reactor type for the practical application of catalytic methane decomposition.