Francesca Varsano

Reactive Pellets for Improved Solar Hydrogen Production Based on Sodium Manganese Ferrite Thermochemical Cycle

Hydrogen production by water-splitting thermochemical cycle based on manganese ferrite/sodium carbonate reactive system is reported. Two different preparation procedures for manganese ferrite/sodium carbonate mixture were adopted and compared in terms of material capability to cyclical hydrogen production. According to the first procedure, conventionally synthesized manganese ferrite, i.e., high temperature (1250°C) heating in Ar of carbonate/oxide precursors, was mixed with sodium carbonate. The blend was tested inside a temperature programed desorption reactor using a cyclical hydrogen production/material regeneration scheme. After a few cycles, the mixture resulted rapidly passivated and unable to further produce hydrogen. An innovative method that avoids the high temperature synthesis of manganese ferrite is presented. This procedure consists in a set of consecutive thermal treatments of a manganese carbonatel sodium carbonateliron oxide mixture in different environments (inert, oxidative, and reducing) at temperatures not exceeding 750°C. Such material, whose observed chemical composition consists of manganese ferrite and sodium carbonate in stoichiometric amounts, is able to evolve hydrogen during 25 consecutive water-splitting cycles, with a small decrease in cyclical production efficiency.

Progress in Understanding Factors Governing the Sodium Manganese Ferrite Thermochemical Cycle

The mixed sodium manganese ferrite thermochemical cycle for sustainable hydrogen production is reviewed. Both the hydrogen production step and the reaction that leads to the regeneration of initial reactants are described as multistep reactions. The chemical cyclability of the reactive system has been demonstrated at 750°C.

Effect of Heat Treatments on TiH2: Surface Composition and Hydrogen Release

The present work investigates the effect of heat treatments in air on the surface and structure of titanium hydride (TiH2) and hydrogen desorption. TiH2 has been heated in air at 440 and 540 °C for increasing time up to 180 min. to obtain the samples representative of 12 different oxidation conditions. The samples have been then examined by Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Experimental results are presented and discussed.

Optimized reactants mixture and products hydrolysis in the manganese oxide thermochemical cycle

A novel system composed by an aqueous slurry prepared by MnO and NaOH mixture was tested for the hydrogen production in the sodium manganese oxide thermochemical cycle. The hydrogen evolution occurs at lower temperature than conventional mixtures utilized in the cycle. Experiments performed in a Temperature Programmed Desorption/Reaction apparatus (TPD/TPR) have evidenced hydrogen production around 500°C. The hydrolysis step of α-NaMnO2 has been studied and the importance to conduct hydrolysis reaction under inert gas is discussed. A manganese disproportion mechanism is hypothesized to explain the appearance of manganese (II) and manganese (IV) containing phases.Copyright