Catalytic Pyrolysis of Methane Into Carbon and Hydrogen Over Tri‐Metallic (Fe–W–Mo)/AC Catalyst: Synergistic Effect of Metal Loads

In petrochemical industries, hydrogen production as an energy carrier from fossil fuels is inevitable with the carbon footprint contribution. Catalytic conversion of methane into hydrocarbons comes with technological challenges and the sensitivity of the catalysts used. Therefore, this study investigated catalytic pyrolysis of methane with different metals (Fe, W, and Mo) supported on activated carbon (AC). The catalysts were obtained by the incipient wetness impregnation technique, characterized, and tested for methane pyrolysis in a custom‐made stainless‐steel fixed‐bed reactor at a temperature of 750°C and pressure of 1 atm for 4 h. The most effective catalyst tested was the 5.4 wt. % tri‐metallic/support (Fe–W–Mo/AC) system with a high surface area of 1001.1 m 2 /g. Under the same operating conditions and 0.00767 moles of methane (CH 4 ) fed, 8.6%CH 4 conversion, C 2 hydrocarbons (23.9%), hydrogen (36.4%), and coke (39.6%) was achieved. This suggests that producing hydrogen via methane pyrolysis presents a carbon‐neutral economy that is a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Hence, exploring the potential of using Fe–W–Mo/AC tri‐metallic catalysts for subsequent process optimization and technoeconomic analysis of methane pyrolysis into hydrogen and valuable product distribution is a viable option.