Boric acid versus boron trioxide as catalysts for green energy source H2 production from sodium borohydride methanolysis

Abstract

Here, boric acid (H3BO3) and its dewatered form, boron trioxide (B2O3) were tested as catalysts for hydrogen (H2) evolution in the methanolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) in methanol. Parameters such as catalyst types and their amounts, NaBH4 concentration, and the reaction temperature affecting the hydrogen generation rate (HGR) were studied. It has been found that H3BO3 and B2O3 catalyzed methanolysis reaction of NaBH4 follow up first-order kinetics relative to the concentration of NaBH4. Furthermore, the conversion and activity of these catalysts were examined to determine their performance in ten consecutive use. Interestingly, H3BO3 and B2O3 have demonstrated superior catalytic performances in methanolysis of NaBH4 comparing to the studies published in literature with the activation energy of respectively 22.08 kJ.mol-1, and 23.30 kJ.mol-1 in H2 production. The HGR was calculated as 6481 mL.min-1.g-1 and 5163 mL.min-1.g-1 for H3BO3 and B2O3 catalyst, respectively for 50 mg catalyst at 298 K. These results are comparably better than most metal nanoparticle catalysts used for H2 production in addition to the naturally occurring boron-based environmentally friendliness of these materials.