Investigation of Carbon Supported Catalysts for Hydrogen Generation by Hydrolysis of Sodium Borohydride

Hydrogen fuel cell emerges as a replacement for combustion engines due to the lack of any contaminant emission. Hydrolysis of hydrated solids in the presence of an appropriate catalyst can be an efficient method for hydrogen generation. Among these materials, sodium borohydride is in the focus of researchs attention due to its relatively low cost, high hydrogen yield, and availability. Various heterogeneous catalysts along with noble and transition metals supported on different materials including zeolite, alumina and activated carbon were synthesized by wet impregnation for hydrogen generation. The main purpose of this work is the complete study on catalysts supported on carbon for hydrolysis of sodium borohydride due to the simple production from invaluable raw materials, high mechanical resistance and hydrophobic property. Experimental pilot for hydrogen generation and the effect of operating conditions including reaction temperature, concentration of sodium borohydride, and catalyst dosage is also studied in this present work.