Electrochemical conversion of ethane to produce hydrogen and deposit carbon in molten salts

Catalyst coking in current processes of ethane cracking or steam reforming for efficiently utilizing abundant ethane for hydrogen production is yet to be established. We herein report an electrochemical method that converts ethane into methane in molten salts at 500[Formula: see text]C, and further, cracks the methane to produce hydrogen in an energy-efficient and catalyst-free manner. Specifically, renewable electricity was utilized to facilitate the conversion of ethane into methane and methane is then oxidized to generate hydrogen and carbon dioxide at the anode. The generated anodic carbon dioxide is captured by the melts in situ and reduced to solid carbon at the cathode, attaining effective spatial separation between hydrogen production at the anode and carbon deposition at the cathode.