2024 AIChE Annual Meeting
Design of New Catalysts for Generation of Clean Hydrogen from Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers: Dehydrogenation of Methylcyclohexane on Bimetallic Catalysts
Hydrogen is an alternative to fossil-fuels for energy generation, a major contributor to climate change, and it is also essential in major commercial processes such as production of synthetic fuels, fertilizers, and metals. Safer and more efficient alternatives are being explored to transport and store hydrogen and one method is by hydrogenating toluene molecules to produce methylcyclohexane (MCH) which is a stable liquid at ambient conditions. MCH can then be catalytically dehydrogenated to recover the H2. Bimetallic Cu-Ni catalysts, with Cu deposited on Ni surface resulting in controlled smaller Ni surface ensembles, were shown to be highly efficient for this reaction. Further reduction of Ni ensembles can be achieved by dispersing Ni on Cu through Electroless Deposition (ED) and the development of a Ni ED bath was studied. Three tests were employed to design a working bath: no strong electrostatic adsorption (SEA) of Ni onto the silica support, significant deposition of Ni onto the surface of Cu only, and no formation of Ni particles in the bath itself. These tests required manipulation of pH, temperature, and the amount of reducing agent and complexing agent to find the correct conditions to produce the catalyst. While the ED of Ni on Cu was achieved, SEA of Ni on the silica proved problematic. The necessary conditions for an effective Ni ED on Cu are still being investigated.