Catalytic activity of carbons for methane decomposition reaction

Catalytic decomposition of methane is an environmentally attractive approach to CO(2)-free production of hydrogen. The objective of this work is to evaluate catalytic activity of a wide range of carbon materials for methane decomposition reaction and determine major factors governing their activity. It was demonstrated that the catalytic activity of carbon materials for methane decomposition is mostly determined by their structural and surface properties. Kinetics of methane decomposition reaction over disordered (amorphous) carbons such as carbon black and activated carbon were determined. The mechanism of carbon-catalyzed methane decomposition reaction and the nature of active sites on the carbon surface are discussed in this paper. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.