Hydrogen production and electrocatalytic study of a Myriophyllum spicatum catalyst

Recently, direct-fed fuel cells have been among the most researched subjects due to their advantages such as easy portability, refueling, and high energy conversion. In this study, Myriophyllum spicatum (M. spicatum) wetland biomass waste was converted to biochar using a chemical activation and carbonization method. Orthogonal arrays of Taguchi, a simple and effective experimental design that creates a methodical treatment set to approximate optimum levels of parameters, were applied to determine logical experimental levels and their combinations. The obtained biochar was used as an anode catalyst for hydrogen production from sodium borohydride by methanolysis and direct methanol fuel cell applications. The samples treated at higher acid molarities and impregnation temperatures showed higher catalytic activities, with Exp (16) showing the best catalytic performance, followed by Exp (11), Exp (12), Exp (15), and Exp (13), respectively. The results suggest that the higher the acid molarity and impregnation temperature, the higher the hydrogen production rate (maxHPR) and lower the reaction completion time. The structure of the material was investigated using FT-IR, SEM-EDX, and XRD characterization techniques. The electrocatalytic activity of biochar was determined by taking CV and EIS measurements. In the calculations performed, the minimum reaction completion time and maxHPR for Exp (16) were calculated as 28,839.03 ml∙min−1gcat−1 and 0.35 min, respectively. As a result of the EIS measurement, the Rct value was calculated as 1.48 Ω. In experimental studies, it has been determined that the use of a Myriophyllum spicatum-based electrocatalyst as an anode catalyst for direct fuel cell applications is promising.