堀越 智

<p>Continuous hydrogen evolution occurred in near-quantitative yields from the dehydrogenation of an organic hydride (methylcyclohexane; MCH) through a microwave-assisted catalyzed process taking place in a fixed-bed reactor in the presence of Pd catalyst particles supported on activated carbon particulates (Pd/AC). Unlike conventional heating, the microwave heating method displayed a large temperature distribution experimentally observed along the vertical catalyst fixed-bed reactor attributed to the distribution of the microwave electric field, among other factors. A principal feature of the microwave-assisted method was the rapid heating response of the catalyst at low microwave power with considerable energy saving relative to conventional heating with a ceramics heater (2 min versus ca. 35‒40 min; 27W versus 139 W). A more uniform distribution of the microwave-generated heat and introduction of warmer liquid organic hydride (greater than ambient) should lead to significant improvement in process efficiency.</p>