Catalytic Performance of NdCoO₃ Perovskites in Ammonia Decomposition for Hydrogen Generation

Abstract

The decomposition of ammonia to produce hydrogen requires an efficient catalyst to lower the energy demand for this reaction. This study investigates the performance of NdCoO₃ in enhancing ammonia decomposition for hydrogen production. The NdCoO₃ perovskite is synthesized using the solution-combustion method with citric acid as fuel. The performance evaluation of the catalysts is conducted in a fixed-bed reactor. The catalysts are characterized by establishing the relationship between structure and activity. A fuel-to-metal ratio of 1.25:1 and a calcination temperature of 700 °C result in a catalyst with favorable physicochemical attributes. The catalyst 1.25:1NdCoO₃-700 is obtained, which achieves 96% ammonia conversion at 550 °C, with a hydrogen generation rate of 30.6 mmolgcat^−1.min⁻¹, making it the most active catalyst with an apparent activation energy (E_a) of 64.47 KJ mol⁻¹. The surface analysis reveals that variations in surface basicity and favorable porosity affected the activity of the 1.25:1NdCoO₃-T catalysts. The fuel-to-metal ratio and the calcination temperature are key factors influencing the activity of the NdCoO₃ catalyst.