Calcium-Based Catalyst for Hydrogen Release
Official patent title
Method of producing hydrogen gas using nanocomposite catalyst
Arabic title: طريقة لإنتاج غاز الهيدروجين باستخدام محفز نانوي مركب
Invention
Invention
Problem
Sodium borohydride hydrolysis is slow without a catalyst, while noble-metal catalysts used for practical hydrogen release can be costly, scarce, or difficult to recover.
Why it matters
Catalytic hydrogen release from a chemical carrier could enable controllable supply, but system value depends on safety, catalyst reuse, hydrogen purity, and carrier lifecycle.
Approach
The method hydrolyzes sodium borohydride in water at 20–75 °C with a CaMoO4/CaSiO3/g-C3N4 particulate catalyst. Calcium molybdate and calcium silicate particles are supported by mesoporous graphitic-carbon-nitride nanosheets.
Who may benefit
Potential beneficiaries include hydrogen-generator developers, fuel-cell laboratories, catalyst producers, portable-power researchers, and chemical hydrogen-storage programs.
Potential value
The catalyst uses calcium-based phases and carbon nitride rather than a noble-metal active phase and provides specified pore, surface, and hydrogen-rate ranges.
Background
Background
Hydrogen is an energy carrier, but compression, liquefaction, transport, and storage introduce cost and safety challenges. Sodium borohydride stores hydrogen chemically and releases it with water, although uncatalyzed hydrolysis is slow. Heterogeneous catalysts can be separated from sodium-metaborate solution, while noble metals add cost and supply limitations. The publication proposes calcium molybdate, calcium silicate, and graphitic carbon nitride. It states generation-rate ranges but does not establish catalyst-cycle life, overall energy efficiency, hydrogen purity, reactor control, or borohydride regeneration economics.
Technology overview
Technology overview
The catalyst contains tetragonal CaMoO4, CaSiO3, and graphitic C3N4, with at least part of the carbon nitride present as mesoporous nanosheets. The sodium-borohydride-to-catalyst weight-ratio range is 1:1–5:1, and the patent states a hydrogen-generation-rate range of 100–1000 mL min−1 g−1 based on NaBH4 weight. Particle size, 15–25 nm pore diameter, 60–100 m2/g BET area, and 0.1–0.5 cm3/g pore volume are specified alongside XRD and microscopy characterization.
Potential applications
Potential applications
- On-demand hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride.
- Catalyst research for portable fuel-cell supply.
- Chemical hydrogen-carrier systems at moderate temperatures.
- Non-noble-metal hydrolysis catalyst development.
Evidence-supported advantages
Evidence-supported advantages
- The active phases do not require a noble-metal component.
- Mesoporous carbon-nitride nanosheets support calcium-based particles.
- Particle, pore, surface-area, and pore-volume ranges are defined.
- Hydrogen generation is specified across stated temperature and rate ranges.
Development stage
Development stage
Laboratory catalyst preparation, characterization, and patent-stated hydrogen-rate ranges are described; reactor-scale use, long-duration cycling, and commercialization were not established.
Commercial opportunity
Commercial opportunity
The material may support compact chemical-hydrogen generators. Commercialization requires independent rate and total-yield tests, catalyst recovery and cycling, poisoning studies, hydrogen purity, reaction-heat and gas-flow control, sodium-metaborate management, borohydride regeneration economics, feedstock cost, scale-up reproducibility, and compliance with hydrogen safety requirements.
Patent classifications
Patent classifications
WIPO IPC
- C01B3/065Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
CPC
- C01B3/065Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
- C01B2203/0277Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
- C01B2203/1023Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
- Y02E60/36Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions related to energy generation, transmission or distribution
Inventors
Inventors
- First inventorMohamed Nady Abd El-Hameed Ibrahim
- InventorBabiker Yagoub Elhadi Abdulkhair
- InventorMohamed Khairy Omran
Keywords
Keywords
- hydrogen gas
- sodium borohydride
- hydrolysis
- calcium molybdate
- calcium silicate
- graphitic carbon nitride
- nanocomposite catalyst
- hydrogen carrier
Patent document and drawings
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.