HYDROGEN PRODUCTION VIA THE DIRECT CRACKING OF HYDROCARBONS

摘要

A process for producing substantially pure hydrogen by contacting a stream of a hydrocarbon gas with a nickel or nickel-copper containing catalyst at a temperature in the range of about 400 to 900 DEG C. This results in the conversion of the hydrocarbon gas to substantially pure hydrogen, with said process being carried out until the catalyst is deactivated due to the deposition of carbon on the catalyst. The deactivated catalyst may be regenerated by oxidation in air or by steam gasification of the deposited carbon. The carbon deposited on the catalyst also has separate utility for electrochemical and fuel storage applications and may be recovered for further use.