Hydrogen Gas Production using Electro-activated Carbon Catalyst from Coconut Shells

Abstract

The synthesis of heterogeneous carbon catalyst using electro-activation method has been carried out to assess the effect of temperature on surface morphology of hydrogen production and the surface area of the carbon catalyst as well as characterization of hydrogen production that was resulted. The electrolyte solution of NaOH with a concentration of 2.7 M which was produced from 2 grams of carbon and 25 ml of distilled water was used for electro-activation process. The activation process was taken place with a current of 3 A for 120 minutes and the variation of carbonization temperature of 1000, 1100 and 1200 °C. The electrode system that was used in the process comprised a carbon cathode and copper anode. The results of carbon mass yield testing indicated that purification of charcoal applied at high temperature. The optimum amount of gas with an average rate of 9.19 ml/min/gr Al for a time of 1 hour was produced from carbonized catalyst at carbonization temperature of 1200 °C. The SEM-EDS examination indicated that the reacted product consisted of a mixture of Al(OH)3 and carbon catalysts which would be reprocessed through the re-electro-activation. The characterization of Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) of the surface area of catalyzed carbon shown a value of 394.456 m2/g; while the result test of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) shown that the morphology of surface layer tends to be more pores after carbon catalyzed was used with the concentration of NaOH electrolyte solution of 2.7 M. Results of Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) analysis also shown the formation of new carboxyl functional groups (O-H) in the wavelength range 464.41 cm-1.