Mixed Oxides of Iron and Manganese as Potential Low‐Cost Oxygen Carriers for Chemical Looping Combustion

Abstract Low‐cost oxygen carriers with multicycle chemical looping combustion (CLC) performance and CO 2 selectivity have been explored to realize a practical oxygen carrier to obtain sequestration‐ready CO 2 from the combustion processes. The cubic structures of the pure mixed oxides of Fe and Mn (Fe 3 Mn 3 O 8 and FeMnO 3 ; Fe–Mn–O) were prepared successfully as oxygen carriers through a coprecipitation method. The Fe–Mn–O systems showed 100 % CH 4 combustion performance in the absence of air or oxygen. MnO and Fe 3 O 4 are the reduced products of the Fe–Mn–O systems after the CH 4 combustion reaction. The regeneration of the Fe–Mn–O phase was achieved readily by reoxidation of their reduced products in air. The Fe–Mn–O systems showed a stable and multicycle CLC performance, however, the individual oxides of Fe and Mn showed an inferior CLC performance. Pure CO 2 was formed during the CH 4 combustion reaction of the Fe–Mn–O systems with practically no toxic CO byproduct. Therefore, the mixed oxide phase of Fe and Mn shows potential as a practical oxygen carrier in terms of its multicycle CLC performance and CO 2 selectivity.