Low-temperature on-board hydrogen production using a novel hollow fibre-based packed bed reactor

The development of efficient on-board hydrogen generation technologies via ammonia (NH 3 ) decomposition necessitates dual advancements in catalyst and reactor design. However, significant challenges remain, particularly in the need for cost-effective, highly active catalysts and efficient reactors capable of satisfying the demands of on-board operation. Therefore, this work investigated cobalt molybdenum (CoMo)-based oxide and nitride catalytic systems to gain insight into the relationships among catalyst composition, stability and performance in NH 3 decomposition, while the hollow fibre packed bed reactor (HFPBR) was introduced as an alternative reactor concept. The significant performance variation of CoMo-oxide and nitride catalytic systems is demonstrated, extending over a T 50 range of 120 °C. The nitride-based catalysts are highlighted as promising catalyst candidates due to their superior activity and stability, exhibiting low-temperature activity above 380 °C. Moreover, various HPPBR configurations, each incorporating a CoMo-nitride catalyst, were investigated, with the optimal configuration demonstrating a 10-fold increase in the NH 3 consumption rate at 425 °C, compared with the least effective configuration. These findings establish the HFPBR, coupled with a CoMo-based nitride catalyst, as a practical and efficient solution for on-board hydrogen production. • CoMo-based oxide and nitride catalytic systems were studied for NH 3 decomposition. • These systems showed broad performance variability with a T 50 range of 120 °C. • A novel reactor design, the hollow fibre packed bed reactor (HFPBR), was developed. • The HFPBR offers improved scalability and external mass transfer characteristics. • At 425 °C, NH 3 consumption rate was enhanced ten-fold across HFPBR design variants.