Combined catalyst for the thermocatalytic
cracking of
methane into
hydrogen and
solid carbon, comprising (a) an
electrically conductive, structure-forming base body designed as a resistance
heating element, made of a high-temperature-resistant metallic material or a
metallic alloy, (b) wherein the base body is designed such that it can be directly heated by
ohmic resistance heating when current flows through it and simultaneously serves as a mechanical support structure for catalytically active surfaces, (c) at least one metallic catalytically
active surface arranged on the base body, in particular based on
nickel, iron,
cobalt or their alloys, (d) at least one open-pored and / or sectionally applied
carbon layer or
carbon coating arranged on the metallic surface, which is at least partially catalytically active, (e) wherein the
carbon layer is designed such thatthat gas passage of
methane to the metallic
active surface remains possible,(f) wherein the base body, the metallic
active surface and the
carbon layer are functionally combined to form a single directly heated catalytically
active structure in which the heat required for the endothermic
methane pyrolysis is generated essentially at the site of the reaction,(g) and wherein the combined catalyst is designed such that carbon formed during operation acts at least partially as a catalytically active surface and / or can be periodically or continuously removed.