Development of High-Surface-Area Alumina-Supported Catalysts for the Generation of Hydrogen from NaBH4

Hydrogen as a valuable energy carrier plays a significant role in renewable energy technologies to reduce the greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere. However, natural hydrogen gas does not exist in the universe and should be gained from hydrogen-containing compounds. In this regard, metal hydrides are excellent candidates for producing hydrogen gas. Among complex metal hydrides, sodium borohydride (NaBH4) possesses its advantages due to its enhanced hydrogen storage capacity and low cost. In the present study, hydrogen gas was generated through the catalytic hydrolysis of NaBH4. In this regard, high-surface-area alumina-supported Ni/Al2O3, NiCo/Al2O3, and Ru-NiCo/Al2O3 catalysts have been prepared via wash coating method and tested in a continuous flow reactor. The results indicate that the Ru-NiCo/Al2O3 catalyst showed the highest initial catalytic activity but with a rapid loss in its avtivity. Compared to that, despite a lower initial catalytic activity in the presence of the NiCo/Al2O3 catalyst, the hydrogen generation kept rising during the reaction. Therefore, the NiCo/Al2O3 catalyst can be proposed much efficient catalyst compared to the Ru-NiCo/Al2O3.