US 12420268 B1Patent grantUnited States

Zirconia Catalyst for Hydrogen Release

Official patent title

Hydrogen generation method using sodium borohydride

Arabic title: طريقة لتوليد الهيدروجين باستخدام بوروهيدريد الصوديوم

Invention

Problem

Sodium borohydride releases hydrogen slowly in water without a catalyst, while many active catalysts rely on costly or scarce noble metals.

Why it matters

Controllable hydrogen release from a chemical carrier could support on-demand supply, but practical systems must manage reaction heat, gas safety, catalyst life, and spent borate.

Approach

The method hydrolyzes sodium borohydride in water with a ZrO2/CaSiO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite catalyst. Spherical zirconia and calcium-silicate nanoparticles are dispersed on graphitic-carbon-nitride nanosheets, providing a porous non-noble-metal catalytic platform.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include hydrogen-system developers, fuel-cell researchers, catalyst manufacturers, portable-power laboratories, and chemical-hydrogen-carrier programs.

Potential value

The catalyst combines inexpensive oxide and carbon-nitride phases with nanoscale dispersion and patent-stated hydrogen-generation rates near ambient temperatures.

Background

Hydrogen has high gravimetric energy content, yet compression, liquefaction, and metal-hydride storage can require expensive equipment or substantial energy. Sodium borohydride is a stable chemical carrier that releases hydrogen through hydrolysis, but the uncatalyzed reaction is slow. Noble-metal catalysts can accelerate release but add cost and supply constraints. The publication proposes a zirconia, calcium-silicate, and graphitic-carbon-nitride catalyst and states temperature-dependent generation rates. System efficiency, catalyst reuse, borohydride regeneration, and process safety remain commercial questions.

Technology overview

The catalyst contains ZrO2 and CaSiO3 spherical nanoparticles dispersed on g-C3N4 nanosheets, with an average particle-diameter range of 3–18 nm. The patent states a generation rate of 310 mL·min−1·g−1 at 28 °C and 1685 mL·min−1·g−1 at 38 °C. BET surface area, pore volume, and a trimodal pore distribution are specified, while XRD, TEM, HRTEM, SAED, and nitrogen-sorption figures characterize the material.

Potential applications

On-demand hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride.
Catalyst research for portable fuel-cell hydrogen supplies.
Chemical hydrogen-carrier evaluation at moderate temperatures.
Non-noble-metal hydrolysis catalyst development.

Evidence-supported advantages

The active phases avoid a noble-metal catalyst component.
Metal-oxide nanoparticles are dispersed on porous carbon-nitride nanosheets.
Particle, surface-area, pore-volume, and pore-distribution characteristics are specified.
Hydrogen-generation rates are stated at defined temperatures.

Development stage

Laboratory catalyst characterization and patent-stated hydrogen-generation rates are described; long-duration cycling, reactor-scale operation, and independent performance validation are not established.

Commercial opportunity

The catalyst may support compact hydrogen generators, but commercialization requires independent rate and yield verification, catalyst-cycle and poisoning tests, heat and gas-flow control, hydrogen purity, sodium-metaborate handling, borohydride regeneration economics, feedstock cost, scale-up reproducibility, and compliance with hydrogen-system safety standards.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

B01J27/24Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J21/06Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J21/066Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J23/02Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J27/24Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/45Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/51Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/613Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/633Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/695Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J37/04Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J37/343Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C01B21/0605Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
C01B3/06Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
C01B3/065Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
C01B33/24Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
C01G25/02Compounds containing metals not covered by subclasses C01D or C01F
C01P2002/72Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2004/04Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
Y02E60/36Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions related to energy generation, transmission or distribution

Inventors

First inventorMohamed Nady Abd El-Hameed Ibrahim
InventorBabiker Yagoub Elhadi Abdulkhair
InventorMohamed Khairy Omran

Keywords

hydrogen generation
sodium borohydride
hydrolysis
zirconium dioxide
calcium silicate
graphitic carbon nitride
nanocomposite catalyst
chemical hydrogen carrier

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.