Stability of Sulfuric Acid Decomposition Catalysts for Thermochemical Water Splitting Cycles

摘要

Thermochemical cycles produce hydrogen through a series of chemical reactions where the net result is the production of hydrogen and oxygen from water at much lower temperatures than direct thermal decomposition. The sulfur-based family of thermochemical cycles appears to have significant technical viability for producing hydrogen. The sulfur-based cycles employ a high-temperature catalytic sulfuric acid decomposition reaction step. The reaction produces oxygen and generates SO_2, which is used in other reaction steps of the cycle. The reaction takes place from 750 to 900 deg C, or higher, and is facilitated by a heterogeneous catalyst.