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![Non-catalytic and catalytic types are employed for the thermal cracking of methane and their temperature range [104].](profile/Mahdi-Yousefi-7/publication/356397172/figure/fig5/AS:11431281079619081@1660801604503/Non-catalytic-and-catalytic-types-are-employed-for-the-thermal-cracking-of-methane-and.png)
Non-catalytic and catalytic types are employed for the thermal cracking of methane and their temperature range [104].
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Hydrogen is an important chemical commodity and plays a key role in the clean, secure and affordable energy scenarios of the future. There is a significant interest in the development of small plants for hydrogen generation besides other plants where hydrogen has been consumed as raw material and it is because of the very high cost of compression a...
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Context 1
... in non-catalytic thermal methane cracking, as Figure 4 shows, the conversion rate is more than 99 % at above 1200 °C. Meanwhile, Figure 5 shows that the working temperature of some of the catalysts are so high that they are close to the non-catalytic working temperature range. Therefore, a non-catalytic reaction can be a sound alternative to CH4 de-carburation without the catalyst limitations and difficulties [102,103]. ...
Citations
... This technique allows for hydrogen production via renewable organic waste. Methane Cracking [6]: This approach involves the thermal decomposition of methane (natural gas) at high temperatures, resulting in hydrogen and solid carbon by-products. It leverages natural gas reserves for the generation of hydrogen. ...
As the global demand for clean and sustainable energy sources intensifies, hydrogen emerges as a promising alternative fuel. The widespread adoption of hydrogen, however, is impeded by the lack of efficient systems for storage and transportation. This review aims to summarize the recent advancements and prevailing challenges within the realm of hydrogen storage and transportation, thereby providing guidance and impetus for future research and practical applications in this domain. Through a systematic selection and analysis of the latest literature, this study highlights the strengths, limitations, and technological progress of various hydrogen storage methods, including compressed gaseous hydrogen, cryogenic liquid hydrogen, organic liquids hydrogen, solid materials hydrogen storage, as well as the feasibility, efficiency, and infrastructure requirements of different transportation modes such as pipelines, road and seaborne transportation. The findings reveal that challenges such as low storage density, high costs, and inadequate infrastructure persist despite progress in high-pressure storage and cryogenic liquefaction. The review also underscores the potential of emerging technologies and innovative concepts, including metal-organic frameworks, nanomaterials, and underground storage, along with the potential synergies with renewable energy integration and hydrogen production facilities. In conclusion, interdisciplinary collaboration, policy support, and ongoing research are essential in harnessing hydrogen’s full potential as a clean energy carrier. This review concludes that research in hydrogen storage and transportation is vital to global energy transformation and climate change mitigation.
... Hydrogen can be produced at or near the point of use. Hydrogen can be produced using several different processes, which include thermal-chemical processes [35][36][37], photoelectric processes [38][39][40], and electrolytic processes [41][42][43]. Microorganisms such as bacteria and algae can also produce hydrogen through biological processes [44][45][46]. ...
This review article provides a comprehensive analysis of the hydrogen landscape, outlining the imperative for enhanced hydrogen production, implementation, and utilisation. It places the question of how to accelerate hydrogen adoption within the broader context of sustainable energy transitions and international commitments to reduce carbon emissions. It discusses influencing factors and policies for best practices in hydrogen energy application. Through an in-depth exploration of key factors affecting hydrogen implementation, this study provides insights into the complex interplay of both technical and logistical factors. It also discusses the challenges of planning, constructing infrastructure, and overcoming geographical constraints in the transition to hydrogen-based energy systems. The drive to achieve net-zero carbon emissions is contingent on accelerating clean hydrogen development, with blue and green hydrogen poised to complement traditional fuels. Public–private partnerships are emerging as catalysts for the commercialisation of hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies, fostering hydrogen demonstration projects worldwide. The anticipated integration of clean hydrogen into various sectors in the coming years signifies its importance as a complementary energy source, although specific applications across industries remain undefined. The paper provides a good reference on the gradual integration of hydrogen into the energy landscape, marking a significant step forward toward a cleaner, greener future.
... Hydrogen (H 2 ) is a key component in the transition to a low-carbon economy (Xing et al., 2013;Yousefi and Donne, 2022). Hydrogen (Yue et al., 2021) can produce three times more energy per unit mass than gasoline combustion (Nicoletti et al., 2015). ...
... Table 1 lists the components and compositional ranges for natural gas in the US for reference. A second key point is that most TCD studies evaluate kinetics while referencing stability and activity for the initial catalyst [13,19,28,29]. Though structural analysis and other characterizations are straightforward, nearly all initial carbon catalysts are formed under conditions very different from TCD carbon. ...
Thermo-catalytic decomposition (TCD) activity and stability depend upon the initial carbon catalyst structure. However, further transitions in the carbon structure depend on the carbon material (structure and composition) originating from the TCD process. In this article, reaction data are presented that illustrates the time-dependent TCD activity as TCD-formed carbon contributes and then dominates conversion. A variety of initial carbon catalysts are compared, including sugar char, a conductive carbon black (AkzoNobel Ketjenblack), a rubber-grade carbon black (Cabot R250), and its graphitized analogue as formed and partially oxidized. Regeneration of carbon catalysts by partial oxidation is evaluated using nascent carbon black as a model, coupled with subsequent comparative TCD performance relative to the nascent, non-oxidized carbon black. Activation energies for TCD with nascent and oxidized carbons are evaluated by a leading-edge analysis method applied to TCD. Given the correlation between nanostructure and active sites, two additional carbons, engine soots, are evaluated for regeneration and dependence upon nanostructure. Active sites are quantified by oxygen chemisorption, followed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The structure of carbon catalysts is assessed pre- and post-TCD by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Last, energy dispersive X-ray analysis mapping (EDS) is carried out for its potential to visualize oxygen chemisorption.
... Critically, diverse types of carbon materials, such as carbon black, graphite, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon fibers (CFs), hybrids of these carbon materials, and other graphitic and amorphous carbon morphologies, can be produced from CH 4 pyrolysis, often with limited control over their structures. Several review articles have been published on CH 4 pyrolysis in the last five years [13,15,[20][21][22][23][24][25]. These review articles focused on catalysts, reactor design, and chemical process development. ...
... A critical issue of CH 4 pyrolysis processes is effectively supplying heat to the reaction [20]. The currently used heat supply methods can be roughly categorized into four main types. ...
... Thermal cracking of natural gas is a promising process for simultaneous hydrogen production and distribution [1]. In this process, pure hydrogen is obtained from the thermal decomposition of natural gas. ...
... The availability of natural gas in many regions, as well as the possibility of producing very pure hydrogen without advanced purification systems, make it an attractive option. It could eliminate the need for extensive hydrogen transportation and storage, which are major obstacles to developing hydrogen applications [1][2][3]. ...
The thermal cracking of methane (TMC) is a significant reaction occurring above 850°C, which proceeds in two stages: non-isothermally and isothermally. However, most existing studies have focused on obtaining reaction rates under isothermal conditions [1], limiting their applicability to practical industrial reactor conditions. This novel research aims to determine the overall thermal decomposition rate of methane to hydrogen and carbon in adiabatic conditions, covering the range of unstable industrial reactor temperatures (850 to 1200°C). The Coats and Redfern model-fitting method was employed to calculate the reaction rate under non-isothermal conditions, and the resulting models were compared with experimental data. The findings reveal the Contracting Cylinder model as the best-fit mathematical representation with less than ±2.8% error. By extending the kinetic model to non-isothermal conditions, this approach addresses a critical aspect of real-world applications.
... The reaction temperature required for the decomposition of CH 4 can be significantly reduced in the presence of a catalyst. Catalytic methane decomposition has attracted considerable attention and been extensively investigated over a variety of metal-based and carbonaceous catalysts [15,16,[18][19][20][21]26,[30][31][32][33]. The catalytic performances towards methane decomposition are determined by the properties of the different catalysts such as supports, promotors, shape, and size. ...
... To address the catalyst deactivation issue, using the carbon itself as a catalyst for methane cracking to combat the issue of carbon poisoning has attracted major attention. Different types of carbon-based materials have been studied as catalysts for the catalytic methane pyrolysis process, including activated carbon, ordered mesoporous carbons, carbon black, carbon nanotubes, activated carbon, graphite and coal chars [15,16,21,26,30,40]. In spite of carbon catalysts showing excellent stability for high-temperature operations, undergoing deactivation is ultimately unavoidable just as with metal-based catalysts. ...
... Thermal non-catalytic and plasma methane cracking techniques yield mostly amorphous carbon or graphite-like carbon, similar to carbon catalyzed methane decomposition. Based on the findings of the literature review and the goal of producing hydrogen [30,62], a thermal non-catalytic or plasma pyrolysis reaction may be a viable route to CH 4 decarbonation because it avoids the limitations and difficulties associated with catalysts, as well as the need for separation and purification units (membrane technology [70,71]) for pure H 2 production. ...
A global transition to a hydrogen economy requires widespread adoption of clean hydrogen energy. Methane cracking is one of the most viable technologies for producing clean hydrogen, nearing the ultimate zero-carbon-emissions targets. While major progress has been made in the lab-scale development of high-performance reactors and catalysts for methane pyrolysis, research focusing on industry-relevant scale and process conditions is in its infancy. Herein, recent advances in fundamental and applied research in methane pyrolysis are critically examined, focusing on physico-chemical mechanisms to achieve energy-efficient, low-carbon-emission, scalable processes. The highlighted recent efforts to bridge the gap between laboratory research and industrial applications reveal rapid advances in practical applications based on synergistic chemical engineering, catalysis, and materials science research. Perspectives, challenges, and opportunities for translational research towards commercial applications of methane cracking are discussed aiming at clean hydrogen production.
... Obtaining hydrogen from wastes is more preferred than using it for synthesizing methane. Compared to methane, hydrogen offers a broader variety of industrial uses, and the fact that it only produces water upon combustion makes it a perfect fuel (Yousefi and Donne 2022). In addition, wastewater is viable for hydrogen production due to the high amount of its organic content (Rioja-Cabanillas et al. 2021). ...
The growing acceptance of hydrogen as a suitable substitute for fossil fuel makes it a resource that can be completely utilized in decarbonizing the environment. It is recognized as the cleanest and best fuel that can expedite the mitigation of the presence of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in the environment because of its high energy density, good calorific value, and significant environmental benefits. It is distinct from other fuels in that it may be created through biological, thermochemical, and electrochemical processes and in that wastes can be used as a feedstock for its production. This paper focuses on reviewing biohydrogen production from wastewater. It discusses techniques that could be harnessed to produce biohydrogen from wastewater, factors that can be improved to enhance the performance of this gaseous fuel, an overview of bioreactors, and the technical challenges associated with the use of biohydrogen produced from wastewater. It also provides an economic overview of biohydrogen production from wastewater and the prospects of using this waste-to-fuel technique to address both energy and environmental concerns in developing areas such as Africa. This work established that using wastewater for biohy-drogen production is economically friendly and also gives considerable hydrogen yield. The cost-to-benefit analysis varies depending on the type of wastewater used, the biological process involved, and the amount of hydrogen produced. The average investment cost varies around a range of 0.4-18.5 USD/m 3 of biohydrogen. The revenue obtained by using wastewater for biohydrogen production can be as high as 4.2 million USD on an annual basis for a reactor volume of 500 m 3 , which produces about 448,000 kg of H 2 yearly. Deploying low-cost and effective bioreactors, optimizing available hydrogen production techniques, and addressing the storage issues scourging biohydrogen are suggested ways of improving its potential.
... A cubic meter of methane contains the same amount of energy as 1.1 L of gasoline and 1.8 L of bioethanol, and could be used to generate 5.6 kWh of electricity [9]. If methane is used as a feedstock for chemical transformation, it could produce approximately 450 g of plastics or 180 g of hydrogen and 536 kg of carbon product [10][11][12]. At present, methane conversion is of particular importance due to its high hydrogen content and availability including from bio-sources [13,14]. ...
The utilization of methane for chemical production, often considered as the future of petrochemistry, historically could not compete economically with conventional processes due to higher investment costs. Achieving sustainability and decarbonization of the downstream industry by integration with a methane-to-chemicals process may provide an opportunity to unlock the future for these technologies. Gas-To-Chemicals is an efficient tool to boost the decarbonization potential of renewable energy. While the current implementation of carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies is of great importance for industrial decarbonization, a shift to greener CO2-free processes and CO2 utilization from external sources for manufacturing valuable goods is highly preferred. This review outlines potential options for how a methane-to-chemicals process could support decarbonization of the downstream industry.
... Hydrogen is a vital chemical commodity and potentially plays a crucial role in the future's clean, secure and affordable energy scenarios (Mahdi Yousefi and Donne, 2021). Hydrogen fuel consumption in industry, especially on small and medium scales, and even residential consumption, will be one of the basic needs of the future. ...
... There are still many obstacles to improving hydrogen usage on small and medium-sized scales. Currently, Hydrogen produced in the industry is mostly considered a chemical product and not a fuel (Mahdi Yousefi and Donne, 2021). The commercial sale of Hydrogen is less than 10% of the world's hydrogen production, estimated at 20 million tons per year. ...
... Different methods of producing Hydrogen from different energy sources have unique needs and produce or distribute unique by-products. Optimizing and producing Hydrogen on a small and medium scale in commercial hydrogen production methods requires further research and development of prototypes (Mahdi Yousefi and Donne, 2021). Advanced methods for Hydrogen purifying and separation of pollutants are needed to reduce the prices of produced Hydrogen and increase efficiency. ...
Non-catalytic thermal methane cracking (TMC) is an alternative for hydrogen manufacturing and traditional commercial processes in small-scale hydrogen generation. Supplying the high-level temperatures (850–1800°C) inside the reactors and reactor blockages are two fundamental challenges for developing this technology on an industrial scale ( Mahdi Yousefi and Donne, 2021 ). A regenerative reactor could be a part of a solution to overcome these obstacles. This study conducted an experimental study in a regenerative reactor environment between 850 and 1,170°C to collect the conversion data and investigate the reactor efficiency for TMC processes. The results revealed that the storage medium was a bed for carbon deposition and successfully supplied the reaction’s heat, with more than 99.7% hydrogen yield (at more than 1,150°C). Results also indicated that the reaction rate at the beginning of the reactor is much higher, and the temperature dependence in the early stages of the reaction is considerably higher. However, after reaching a particular concentration of Hydrogen at each temperature, the influence of temperature on the reaction rate decreases and is almost constant. The type of produced carbon in the storage medium and its auto-catalytic effect on the reactions were also investigated. Results showed that carbon black had been mostly formed but in different sizes from 100 to 2000 nm. Increasing the reactor temperature decreased the size of the generated carbon. Pre-produced carbon in the reactor did not affect the production rate and is almost negligible at more than 850°C.
