Project No. 103

Prof. Dr. Marcus Rose
Technical University Darmstadt, Department of Chemistry, Chair of Chemical Technology II

 

 

A global hydrogen economy based on renewable energy and raw materials plays a decisive role on the way to a sustainable, defossilised economy. The chemical storage of hydrogen in the form of ammonia enables the highest storage densities, as it can be liquefied at low pressure and temperature. In addition, nitrogen from the air is available everywhere for storage and can be easily released again. The hydrogen is recovered via the thermocatalytic decomposition of ammonia. Despite the availability of appropriate cracking catalysts, there is a great need for innovation in the efficiency of the catalysts and reaction technology.

 

In this project, the potential of a novel catalyst concept for ammonia cracking is to be taken up, systematically investigated and further developed. The concept is based on maximising the activity of abundant and inexpensive base transition metals, especially nickel, by realising a very large dispersion via an innovative synthesis concept and additionally generating synergistic effects with the support material. The aim is to develop a new generation of ammonia cracking catalysts based on a systematic knowledge-based approach. The following key research questions will be addressed in this project:

1) Which support materials or even mixtures are particularly active in ammonia decomposition with Ni as a metallic component?
2) What role do acidic and basic centres or their co-existence play in the activity?
3) Are there trends with regard to the strength and the number of different active sites?
4) How dispersed and stable are the supported nickel catalysts produced via the alternative route?

To answer these questions, the project combines investigations of the synthesis and characterisation of innovative catalyst systems with catalytic testing in order to demonstrate the industrial feasibility of this new generation of catalysts in addition to a scientific understanding of the interaction between metal and support.