New advances in hydrogen production via the catalytic decomposition of wax by-products using nanoparticles of SBA frame-worked MoO₃

Graphical abstract: Feedstock-to-gases & hydrogen conversion using the Mo-SBA15 catalyst compared to commercial catalysts. - Highlights: • Synthesis of meso-porous molybdenum oxide catalyst in SBA framework. • Confirming the structural characteristics of this catalyst by different analyses. • New trend for the H₂ & CH₄, production is revealed in this work. • Nano-carbon species of well-ordered structure was produced. • In-situ non-pressurized-low temperature wax isomerization was imposed. - Abstract: The alternative energy sources in general and hydrogen based energy in particular have been currently grabbing great attention. Hydrogen is an efficient green source for power generation owing to its huge energy content. The operational costs and the hydrogen output are the key factors in the selection of a certain technique for the hydrogen production industrially. This study summarizes a new route for hydrogen production starting from a bit complicated hydrogen-containing molecules. Particular attention is given during this work towards a direct pyrrolysis catalytic conversion of long chains n-paraffin into hydrogen with in-situ production of nano-structured carbon particles. The simultaneous isomerization of the n-paraffin contented in the feedstock is also discussed during this process. This research study had provided new advances in the hydrogen production based on carrying out the production process at non-severe conditions namely; low operational temperatures and no pressure was applied. The introduction of a meso-porous molybdenum oxide catalyst for the catalytic hydrogen production is also a point of novelty for the presented work. Promising results have been disclosed at the end of this investigation; approximately 60 wt.% of the feedstock was converted to fuel gases while nearly 30 wt.% of the feed had turned as nano-carbon species. The hydrogen productivity had been detected as high as 42 wt.% of the original feedstock. This in fact might provide a new platform of the hydrogen production throughout the conversion of wax by-products. In comparison to two commercial catalysts, the hydrogen yield obtained by the prepared catalyst in this work had heavily scored.