Exergy and energy analysis of hydrogen production by the degradation of sodium borohydride in the presence of novel Ru based catalyst

Chemically possible hydrogen storage material of the most important and widely used metal hydride compound is sodium borohydride. A current research issue is the devel-opment of systems that allow regulated hydrogen generation employing appropriate cat-alysts for the creation of hydrogen gas from the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). In this study, controlled hydrogen production from alkali solution of NaBH4 was aimed. On hydrogen generation rate (HGR), the effects of NaBH4 and alkaline solution concentrations, catalyst quantity, and temperature were examined. Considering the energy and exergy analysis, which have gained importance in the international arena in recent years, in this study, the exergy energy analysis of the environment in which the sodium borohydride solution is located was performed. The best one of the Ru-based catalysts synthesized in different atomic ratios was determined as 90:10 RuCr. The surface characterization of the obtained catalyst was carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). In the kinetic calculations, the activation energy was calculated as 35,024 kj/mol and the reaction ordered n was found to be 0,65. By applying exergy and energy analysis to the hydrogen production step, the energy and exergy efficiency of the system were found to be 24% and 7%, respectively.(c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The goal of this study is to achieve controlled hydrogen production rate through the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) using appropriate catalysts. The effects of NaBH4 and alkaline solution concentrations, catalyst quantity, and temperature on hydrogen generation rate (HGR) were investigated, and the best Ru-based catalyst was identified. By applying energy and exergy analysis to the hydrogen production step, the energy and exergy efficiency of the system were determined to be 24% and 7%, respectively.