Article Selected Aspects of Hydrogen Production via Catalytic Decomposition of Hydrocarbons Aleksey A. Vedyagin 1,2,* , Ilya V. Mishakov 1,2, Denis V. Korneev 3 , Yury I. Bauman 1,2 , Anton Yu. Nalivaiko 2 and Alexander A. Gromov 2 1 Department of Materials Science and Functional Materials, Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, Lavrentieva Ave 5, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia;
[email protected] (I.V.M.);
[email protected] (Y.I.B.) 2 Catalysis Lab, National University of Science and Technology MISIS, Leninskiy Prospect 4, 119049 Moscow, Russia;
[email protected] (A.Y.N.);
[email protected] (A.A.G.) 3 School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, 25 Rainforest Walk, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: Owing to the high hydrogen content, hydrocarbons are considered as an alternative source for hydrogen energy purposes. Complete decomposition of hydrocarbons results in the formation of gaseous hydrogen and solid carbonaceous by-product. The process is complicated by the methane formation reaction when the released hydrogen interacts with the formed carbon deposits. The present study is focused on the effects of the reaction mixture composition. Variations in the inlet hydrogen and methane concentrations were found to influence the carbon product’s morphology and the hydrogen production efficiency. The catalyst containing NiO (82 wt%), CuO (13 wt%), and Al2O3 (5 wt%) was prepared via a mechanochemical activating procedure. Kinetics of the catalytic Citation: Vedyagin, A.A.; Mishakov, process of hydrocarbons decomposition was studied using a reactor equipped with McBain balances. I.V.; Korneev, D.V.; Bauman, Y.I.; The effects of the process parameters were explored in a tubular quartz reactor with chromatographic Nalivaiko, A.Y..; Gromov, A.A.