A system and process for carrying out one or more chemical reactions are provided and include one or more chemical reactors having particulate solids forming a bed therein, and a gas stripping zone forming a non-mechanical seal between said reactors which includes a conduit connecting the reactors. The conduit includes an inlet for a stripping gas which is adapted to prevent process gas from passing between reactors while permitting particulate solids to pass between reactors.

Disclosed herein is a solar thermochemical reactor comprising an outer member, an inner member disposed within an outer member, wherein the outer member surrounds the inner member and wherein the outer member has an aperture for receiving solar radiation and wherein an inner cavity and an outer cavity are formed by the inner member and outer member and a reactive material capable of being magnetically stabilized wherein the reactive material is disposed in the outer cavity between the inner member and the outer member.

The present invention relates to a device for producing compressed hydrogen, comprising a pressure-resistant reactor (1) with a reactor chamber having a metal-containing contact mass (2), wherein the reactor (1) comprises at least one feed line (3) for feeding fluids into the reactor chamber and at least one discharge line (4) for discharging fluids from the reactor chamber, wherein the at least one discharge line is provided with a device (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) for controlling or regulating the flow rate, preferably having a valve, for adjusting the pressure within the reactor chamber, wherein a conveyance means is provided on at least one feed line for introducing a water-containing medium into the reactor chamber and wherein at least one discharge line (4) protrudes into the reactor chamber or opens directly into the reactor chamber, through which the compressed hydrogen is discharged from the reactor chamber, wherein the reactor chamber exhibits at least two areas that are separate from each other and connected in a gas-conducting manner, of which at least one area comprises the metal-containing contacting mass (2) and at least one additional area comprises at least one inert material (7, 13).

A solar thermochemical reactor contains an outer member, an inner member disposed within an outer member, wherein the outer member surrounds the inner member and wherein the outer member has an aperture for receiving solar radiation. An inner cavity and an outer cavity are formed by the inner member and outer member and a reactive material that is capable of being magnetically stabilized is disposed in the outer cavity between the inner member and the outer member.

Hydrogen may be produced by a method that includes a first reaction where methane is reacted with carbon dioxide to produce at least carbon monoxide and hydrogen, a second reaction where a metal in a reduced state is reacted with water to form at least hydrogen and a metal in an oxidized state, and a third reaction where carbon monoxide is reacted with the metal in an oxidized state to form at least carbon dioxide and the metal in a reduced state.

Hydrogen may be produced by a method that includes a first reaction where methane is reacted with oxygen to produce at least carbon monoxide and hydrogen, a second reaction where a metal in a reduced state is reacted with water to form at least hydrogen and a metal in an oxidized state, and a third reaction where carbon monoxide is reacted with the metal in an oxidized state to form at least carbon dioxide and the metal in a reduced state.

Hydrogen may be produced by a method that includes a first reaction where methane is reacted with water to produce at least carbon monoxide and hydrogen, a second reaction where a metal in a reduced state is reacted with water to form at least hydrogen and a metal in an oxidized state, and a third reaction where carbon monoxide is reacted with the metal in an oxidized state to form at least carbon dioxide and the metal in a reduced state.

The disclosure provides a method of producing hydrogen. The method comprises conducting a thermochemical reaction by contacting a metal, or an alloy thereof, with steam to produce a metal oxide and/or a metal hydroxide and hydrogen. The method then comprises contacting the metal oxide and/or the metal hydroxide produced in the thermochemical reaction with water or a basic aqueous solution to produce a solution comprising a metal ion. Finally, the method comprises conducting an electrochemical reaction by applying a voltage across an anode and a cathode, whereby at least a portion of the cathode contacts the solution comprising the metal ion, to produce hydrogen, oxygen and the metal, or the alloy thereof.

A method can include performing a series of reactions in a closed cycle, the series of reactions consisting of a hydrolysis reaction where a redox reagent is oxidized to a corresponding oxidized redox reagent with water contemporaneously with the production of hydrogen; and a reduction reaction where the oxidized redox reagent is reduced to the redox reagent using a sulfurous reactant contemporaneously with production of sulfur dioxide.