Hydrogen Production via Methane Cracking on Dry-Coated Fe/ZrO2 with Support Recycle in a Fluidized Bed Process

Hydrogen can be produced by catalytic cracking of methane in a fluidized bed to yield solid carbon as a byproduct. We report the use of a catalyst consisting of Fe2O3 dry coated on dense ZrO2 beads. A procedure for catalyst support regeneration via mild oxidation and subsequent magnetic separation was developed that allows for recovery and reuse of the ZrO2 beads. This reuse was demonstrated for three cycles of catalyst preparation, catalyst reduction, methane cracking, and ZrO2 bead recovery. The regeneration was possible with either oxygen or steam as an oxidizing agent. 'When steam is used, further hydrogen is generated by the oxidation of iron to magnetite (Fe3O4). The phase-pure Fe3O4/C byproduct that formed in this regeneration step could be valuable for applications such as wastewater treatment.