1.2 Hydrogen Generation and Nanotechnology
5
There are several other studies and investigation which involve the use of
nanotechnology for water splitting reaction in order to generate the hydrogen. The
detail of such investigations is discussed in Chap. 2.
1.2.2 Decarbonization of Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons are also important source of sustainable hydrogen because of their
price, availability and convenience in transportation and storage. The carbon and
hydrogen are the major constituents of the hydrocarbons, and hence serve as the
promising raw material for the generation of hydrogen. The simple chemical reaction
of the process can be given as.
CH 4 + 2H 2 O → 4H 2 + CO 2 + energy
Several different methods like steam reforming, partial oxidation, photocatalytic
oxidation, and thermal decomposition are used for the decarbonization of hydrocarbons for the production of hydrogen generation [17]. Many of these methods
employ nanomaterial for hydrogen liberation from decarbonization of hydrocarbons.
For instance, Al 2 O 3 /NiO nanocatalyst in quartz is used for the steam reforming of
methane. The catalyst is prepared by employing sol–gel method. It is found that
the size of NiO crystallite in NiO–SiO 2 /Al2O 3 catalyst varies with the degree of Ni
loading and calcination temperature. Al 2 O 3 /NiO nanocatalyst with 10% Ni is optimized for steam reforming of methane [18]. Similarly, Marin et al. have reported that
partial oxidation of Jet-A fuels to hydrogen and carbon monoxide via nanoparticle
of MoO 2 . These nanoparticles were prepared by the reduction of MoO 3 in 1:3 by
volume solution of ethylene glycol and distilled water. The prepared nanoparticle
MoO 2 was analyzed with XRD, SEM, BET, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
(XPS). MoO 2 nanoparticles depicted ∼99% conversion of the fuel (at 850 °C, 1 atm),
and ∼60% yield of hydrogen. In the similar study, the MoO 2 catalyst was compared
with the reference Ni catalyst at similar conditions which was deactivated because
of coking in less than 4 h of the process, where MoO 2 nanoparticles showed a 10 h
coking resistance [19]. A detailed discussion of nanotechnology and decarbonization
of hydrocarbons is provided in Chap. 3.
1.2.3 Decomposition of Hydrogen Sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is yet another important source of sustainable hydrogen. H 2 S is
categorized as a highly toxic pollutant of both natural and anthropic origins. Naturally
Black Sea can be regarded as the one major reservoir of H 2 S because of its internal
structure [20]. Coal seams can be considered as the second major natural source of
the H 2 S [21]. Different anthropic activities are the source of the H 2 S generation, such
5
There are several other studies and investigation which involve the use of
nanotechnology for water splitting reaction in order to generate the hydrogen. The
detail of such investigations is discussed in Chap. 2.
1.2.2 Decarbonization of Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons are also important source of sustainable hydrogen because of their
price, availability and convenience in transportation and storage. The carbon and
hydrogen are the major constituents of the hydrocarbons, and hence serve as the
promising raw material for the generation of hydrogen. The simple chemical reaction
of the process can be given as.
CH 4 + 2H 2 O → 4H 2 + CO 2 + energy
Several different methods like steam reforming, partial oxidation, photocatalytic
oxidation, and thermal decomposition are used for the decarbonization of hydrocarbons for the production of hydrogen generation [17]. Many of these methods
employ nanomaterial for hydrogen liberation from decarbonization of hydrocarbons.
For instance, Al 2 O 3 /NiO nanocatalyst in quartz is used for the steam reforming of
methane. The catalyst is prepared by employing sol–gel method. It is found that
the size of NiO crystallite in NiO–SiO 2 /Al2O 3 catalyst varies with the degree of Ni
loading and calcination temperature. Al 2 O 3 /NiO nanocatalyst with 10% Ni is optimized for steam reforming of methane [18]. Similarly, Marin et al. have reported that
partial oxidation of Jet-A fuels to hydrogen and carbon monoxide via nanoparticle
of MoO 2 . These nanoparticles were prepared by the reduction of MoO 3 in 1:3 by
volume solution of ethylene glycol and distilled water. The prepared nanoparticle
MoO 2 was analyzed with XRD, SEM, BET, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
(XPS). MoO 2 nanoparticles depicted ∼99% conversion of the fuel (at 850 °C, 1 atm),
and ∼60% yield of hydrogen. In the similar study, the MoO 2 catalyst was compared
with the reference Ni catalyst at similar conditions which was deactivated because
of coking in less than 4 h of the process, where MoO 2 nanoparticles showed a 10 h
coking resistance [19]. A detailed discussion of nanotechnology and decarbonization
of hydrocarbons is provided in Chap. 3.
1.2.3 Decomposition of Hydrogen Sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is yet another important source of sustainable hydrogen. H 2 S is
categorized as a highly toxic pollutant of both natural and anthropic origins. Naturally
Black Sea can be regarded as the one major reservoir of H 2 S because of its internal
structure [20]. Coal seams can be considered as the second major natural source of
the H 2 S [21]. Different anthropic activities are the source of the H 2 S generation, such