Chloroorganic impurities in technical-grade benzyltoluene – Influence on its use as LOHC compound and removal strategies

Henseler J, Rullo F, Mitländer K, Johner N, Wolf P, Schühle P, Geißelbrecht M, Wasserscheid P (2024)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy Elsevier

Book Volume: 53

Pages Range: 105-113

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.11.344

Abstract

The benzyltoluene (H0-BT)/perhydro benzyltoluene (H12-BT) LOHC system is very attractive for large-scale hydrogen storage and transportation applications due to its fuel-like handling and excellent technical availability. H0-BT is applied in industrial quantities since the 1960′ies as heat trafer fluid and is technically produced by a Friedel-Crafts alkylation of chlorobenzene and toluene. However, the current production route leads to minor impurities of chloroorganic compounds in technical H0-BT that were found to severely harm the performance in the catalytic hydrogenation to H12-BT, i.e. in the hydrogen charging process of the respective LOHC storage cycle. Our contribution deals with three aspects of this practically highly relevant topic: a) It discloses the previously unknown chemical structure of the relevant chloroorganic impurities; b) it develops a process for their removal by adsorption and/or hydrodechlorination using a commercial Ni/SiO2–Al2O3 material, and c) it determines the performance difference of the so-purified H0-BT samples and H0-BT samples containing the relevant chloroorganic compounds in the catalytic hydrogenation of H0-BT to H12-BT.

Authors with CRIS profile

Kerstin Mitländer Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik Patrick Schühle Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik

Involved external institutions

Forschungszentrum Jülich / Research Centre Jülich (FZJ) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Henseler, J., Rullo, F., Mitländer, K., Johner, N., Wolf, P., Schühle, P.,... Wasserscheid, P. (2024). Chloroorganic impurities in technical-grade benzyltoluene – Influence on its use as LOHC compound and removal strategies. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 53, 105-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.11.344

MLA:

Henseler, J., et al. "Chloroorganic impurities in technical-grade benzyltoluene – Influence on its use as LOHC compound and removal strategies." International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 53 (2024): 105-113.

BibTeX: Download