Hydrogen production from catalytic methane decomposition using Ni-phyllosilicate functionalized zeolite membrane reactor

Hydrogen is the source of clean and green energy, which has tremendous potential to combat climate change. Zero carbon emission can be achieved by using H₂ as a fuel produced from methane decomposition reaction. In this study, we have developed a stable Ni-species functionalized membrane reactor for the production of ultra-pure hydrogen from catalytic decomposition of methane (CDM) reaction. The membrane reactor consists of a zeolite layer deposited on the surface of an alumina hollow fiber and further functionalized to form Ni-phyllosilicate on the zeolite surface. The Ni-phyllosilicate performs as a catalyst for CH₄ decomposition and the zeolite membrane acts as a separating layer. The catalytic membrane was synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis method, followed by urea hydrolysis method. Further, it was characterized by SEM, EDS and XRD for the morphology and the catalyst deposition. The Ni-functionalized membrane was tested for methane pyrolysis reaction at a temperature range of 450–600 °C. The combination of catalysis and membrane have synergetic effect on the overall performance of the reaction, in which, around 58±1 % conversion was achieved at 600 °C. About 76 % of the produced H₂ of purity ∼98±0.5 % was recovered during the reaction in the permeate side. In addition to high-purity hydrogen, carbon nanotubes (CNT) were also produced and recovered from the same reaction. The two valuable products produced from this reaction helps to achieve the net zero emission and production of value-added chemicals.