Co/AlSi Catalyst Synthesis for Hydrogen Production by Methanolysis of Sodium Borohydride

In this work, a silica-based Co/AlSi catalyst for NaBH4 methanolysis was developed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to analyze the structure and composition of the synthesized Co/AlSi catalyst. The experiments in this study were typically conducted using 5 mL of methanol solution containing 0.05 g NaBH4 and 40 mg catalyst at 30 °C. The gas measurement system was used to determine the volume of hydrogen produced during the experiments. The effects of varying temperature, catalyst amount, and NaBH4 concentration were examined. This catalyst achieved a maximum hydrogen production rate of 6250 mL min⁻¹ gmet⁻¹ through the methanolysis of NaBH4. The Co/AlSi catalyst catalyzed the methanolysis of NaBH4 with an activation energy of 20.90 kJ/mol. Although the catalyst partially lost activity after use, regeneration by washing with a diluted solution was possible, and after the third cycle, the activity remained at 89%.