PRODUCTION OF CARBON NANOTUBES AND HYDROGEN BY CATALYTIC ETHANOL DECOMPOSITION

This work reports the synthesis of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by the catalytic decomposition of ethanol using the perovskite-type oxide LaNiO₃ as catalyst precursor. The carbon nanotubes were characterized by transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TEM micrographs show that the carbon nanotubes were multi-walled with inner diameters ranging from 3 nm to 12 nm and outer diameters up to 42 nm. The yield of CNT and H₂ were 3.5 g_CNT?(g_cat?h)^-1 and 39 L_H2?(g?h)^-1 respectively at 700 °C. TGA data show that nanotube carbon purity was about 95 % by weight and the oxidation temperature was around 620 °C.