(506c) Hydrogen Production Via Two - Step High Temperature Thermochemical Process Using Porous MnFe2O4 Material

Porous MnFe₂O₄ material was synthesized and investigated as a potential candidate for thermochemical water splitting. The basic idea is that manganese-ferrite can split water molecules by extracting oxygen atoms and reversibly incorporating them into its lattices. MnFe₂O₄ was produced from manganese acetate, iron citrate, and sucrose precursors via a novel microwave assisted synthesis method which resulted in a pure crystalline material. DSC/TGA redox experiments indicated that synthesized MnFe₂O₄ can gain up to 3.34wt% in oxygen atmosphere at 850 ^oC and 1 atm. The results have also showed that these materials can be fully regenerated in nitrogen atmosphere at 950 ^oC and 1 atm. Based on the TGA analyses of oxidation and reduction in air and nitrogen respectively, it was estimated that 47.7 STPml/g-solid of H₂ might be generated in each cycle. Hydrogen production in multiple cycles via a two-step thermochemical process using packed-bed reactor filled with porous MnFe₂O₄ material will be presented.  In addition, details of synthesis and characterization of this promising material will be presented.

Figure 1. Production rate of hydrogen at 800 ^oC and atmospheric pressure using porous MnFe₂O₄ material.

Figure 2. SEM image of synthesized MnFe₂O₄ materials.