Alharthi A, Blackley RA, Flowers TH, Hargreaves JSJ, Pulford ID, Wigzell J, Zhou W. Iron ochre - a pre-catalyst for the cracking of methane.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY (OXFORD, OXFORDSHIRE : 1986) 2014;
89:1317-1323. [PMID:
25558121 PMCID:
PMC4280890 DOI:
10.1002/jctb.4434]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/16/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Iron ochres are gelatinous sludges that can cause problems in terms of water management. In this work, the application of iron ochre obtained from a river has been applied to catalytically crack methane - another potential waste product - into two useful products, hydrogen and a magnetic carbon-containing composite.
RESULTS
The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the iron ochre was found to be consistent with the expected 2-line ferrihydrite, and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis showed Fe to be a major component although some Si and Ca were present. The sample was observed to contain a fraction with a tubular morphology consistent with the presence of extra-cellular biogenic iron oxide formed by leptothrix. Upon exposure to methane at elevated temperatures, the material was found to transform into an active catalyst for hydrogen production yielding a magnetic carbon-containing composite material comprising filamentous carbon and encapsulating graphite.
CONCLUSION
The application of two waste products - iron ochre and methane - to generate two useful products - hydrogen and a magnetic carbon-containing composite - has been demonstrated. Furthermore, the ochre has been shown to comprise tubular morphology extra-cellular biogenic iron oxide which may be of interest in terms of other applications. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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