Production of CO-free hydrogen through the decomposition of LPG and kerosene over Ni-based catalysts

The catalytic performance of Ni-based catalysts for the decomposition of hydrocarbons of C₃-C₈ into CO-free hydrogen and carbon fibers was investigated in order to produce CO-free hydrogen as a fuel for PEFC from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene. The addition of Cu or Pd into Ni/SiO₂ catalyst elongated its catalytic life for the propane decomposition. Especially, Ni-Pd/SiO₂ catalyst showed higher activity and longer life for the decomposition of propane at 823 and 873 K, compared to Ni/SiO₂ and Ni-Cu/SiO₂ catalysts. Ni-Pd/SiO₂ catalyst was deactivated gradually with time on stream during the decomposition of propane due to the deposition of large amounts of carbon. However, the activity of the catalyst for the propane decomposition was recovered completely by the gasification of deposited carbon with CO₂ into CO. This result suggested that CO-free hydrogen and CO could be produced successively through the decomposition of hydrocarbons and the subsequent gasification of deposited carbon with CO₂. Ni-Pd/SiO₂ showed high catalytic activity for the decomposition of hydrocarbons of C₆-C₈ to form CO-free hydrogen. Thus, CO-free hydrogen was produced through the decomposition of commercial kerosene over Ni-Pd/SiO₂ catalyst.