Description:
Reference #: 1727
The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for Low-cost Ru catalysts for efficient hydrogen production from ammonia decomposition.
Background:
Hydrogen is a zero-carbon, high-energy-density fuel that holds great promise for replacing fossil fuels in power generation and clean energy applications. Due to the challenges in generating and storing hydrogen for portable applications, ammonia has been proposed as a solution for on-site hydrogen production through ammonia decomposition. At an industrial scale, ammonia is decomposed using nickel supported on aluminum oxide as a catalyst, and the process operates at high temperatures, requiring substantial energy input. To reduce the energy requirements, ruthenium-based catalysts can be used. The activity of these catalysts depends on the support materials used for catalyst synthesis. Rare-earth metal oxides are considered efficient supports for ruthenium-based catalysts for ammonia decomposition, but they are expensive. Therefore, these supports cannot be used for large-scale applications.
Invention Description:
For this invention, novel supports were prepared for Ru catalysts. The resulting supported catalysts were compared with a set of other catalysts. The prepared catalyst showed very high hydrogen production efficiency by decomposing ammonia at relatively lower temperatures compared to other catalysts.
Potential Applications:
Synthesis of cost-effective catalysts producing more hydrogen from ammonia using less energy and applicable to large-scale applications.
Advantages and Benefits:
This invention provides cost-effective support to prepare efficient Ru catalysts.