Work

The Investigation of Methane Pyrolysis and Its Carbon Products Utilizing Molten Metal/Molten Salt Composite Reactors

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Methane pyrolysis for turquoise hydrogen production faces dual challenges of reactor clogging and carbon contamination, particularly the difficulty in extracting high-purity carbon from molten media. While most existing studies focus on two-phase systems, carbon products are inevitably contaminated by the medium. This work presents a novel dual-layer bubble column reactor (Cu0.45Bi0.55 alloy/NaCl salt) operating at 900–1100 °C. The system achieved continuous operation for over 72 h without clogging. Crucially, the selected NaCl salt offers distinct advantages: its low cost, non-toxicity and high water solubility facilitate effective carbon separation strategies. This configuration reduced metal contamination in carbon from 52.4 wt% to below 4.0 wt%, with post-treatment achieving ultralow metal content below 1.5 wt%. Moreover, the molten salt environment induced valuable structural modifications in the carbon. This work provides an economically viable process for co-producing clean hydrogen and high-value carbon, addressing key technical barriers in molten media reactors.

Source: Processes

DOI: 10.3390/pr13113549

Authors: Xichen Su, Jiashu Liao, Xiangyang Luo, Xuncheng Ouyang, Jianjun Wei, Fujun Gou

Institution: Sichuan University

Language: English

Topic: Catalysts for Methane Reforming

Subfield: Catalysis

Field: Chemical Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Responsible consumption and production, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896