Exploring the photocatalytic hydrogen production potential of titania doped with alumina derived from foil waste

The multifunctional potential of a catalyst previously synthesised for thermal processes is explored by investigating its activity for photocatalytic production of H-2 from glycerol, a byproduct from the manufacture of bio-diesel. The studied catalyst contains TiO2 doped with Al2O3 that was derived from aluminum foil waste. This catalyst showed higher photo catalytic activity than the analogous catalyst prepared with a commercial Al2O3. Pt and Pd act as electron traps while the Al2O3 demonstrated a promotional effect, partially through proton donation. Under optimum conditions, a steady-state of 4.2 mmol H-2 gTiO(2)(-1) hr(-1) was produced, which is comparable to the 4.7 mmol H-2 gTiO(2)(-1) hr(-1) obtained with Pt-TiO2, which is a standard photocatalytic material. It should be noted that the reported Pt/Pd/TiO2-ANFL catalyst has not yet been optimised and so this result is encouraging. It is hopedthat these findings can inspire more sustainable and less expensive hydrogen production, including from biomass feedstocks such as glycerol. (C) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.