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

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.