Investigation of Coked Catalyst Regeneration via Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment and Its Reuse for Hydrogen Production from Methane Pyrolysis

As a low-carbon alternative, methane pyrolysis offers a viable approach to overcoming the emission challenges associated with traditional hydrogen generation. However, catalyst deactivation is one of the key challenges, mainly caused by high-temperature sintering and coke deposition that block active sites. This study investigates the application of non-thermal plasma (NTP) treatment for the regeneration of coked catalysts through in situ carbon removal and performance recovery. Carbon removal by NTP is proposed as a cleaner alternative to conventional regeneration methods. The influence of plasma treatment was evaluated under different plasma treatment configurations, including the use of an auxiliary magnet to direct plasma flux toward the targeted region, and variations in gas composition (H2/Ar and H2/O2). The plasma-treated catalyst was analyzed by SEM, EDS, XPS, and XRD techniques. Additionally, samples were evaluated for hydrogen production via methane pyrolysis. The results demonstrated measurable surface carbon removal, reaching approximately 38%. However, methane pyrolysis experiments revealed that this level of surface carbon removal was insufficient to achieve substantial catalytic activity recovery, indicating the need for further optimization.