CuO Spinel Catalyst for Hydrogen Generation
Official patent title
Method for producing Hydrogen using copper oxide-magnesium aluminate (CuO.MgAl2O4) spinel nanocomposite
Arabic title: طريقة لإنتاج الهيدروجين باستخدام مركب نانوي مغزلي من أكسيد النحاس-ألومينات المغنيسيوم (CuO·MgAl2O4)
Invention
Invention
Problem
Sodium borohydride releases hydrogen slowly by self-hydrolysis, while noble-metal catalysts can be costly or scarce and hydrogen systems must manage storage, heat, reaction residues, and safe gas capture.
Why it matters
A copper-oxide/spinel catalyst could support chemical-hydride hydrogen research, but gas rate and yield, catalyst reuse, copper leaching, borohydride regeneration, reactor safety, and economics require independent verification.
Approach
The method hydrolyzes NaBH4 in water at 30–50 °C using a CuO·MgAl2O4 nanocomposite, captures the evolved hydrogen, and provides a sugar-assisted synthesis for the catalyst.
Who may benefit
Potential beneficiaries include hydrogen-generation researchers, chemical-hydride system developers, catalyst manufacturers, portable-energy laboratories, and spinel-material process engineers.
Potential value
The disclosure combines bounded CuO loading and particle size with NaBH4-to-catalyst ratio, temperature, claimed hydrogen-rate values, gas capture, and a defined sugar-carbonization and calcination synthesis.
Background
Background
NaBH4 can release hydrogen through hydrolysis, but the uncatalyzed reaction is slow. Heterogeneous catalysts are attractive because they can be separated from the sodium-metaborate co-product, while noble-metal catalysts may be constrained by cost, scarcity, or toxicity. A practical chemical-hydride system still needs controlled heat removal, hydrogen purification and capture, reactant storage, catalyst lifetime, and regeneration or disposal of the spent carrier. The patent evaluates CuO supported with magnesium-aluminate spinel for this reaction.
Technology overview
Technology overview
Claim 1 hydrolyzes NaBH4 at 30–50 °C with CuO·MgAl2O4, using a 2:1–4:1 NaBH4-to-catalyst weight ratio. The composite contains 2.5–20 wt.% CuO, has a Dv50 of 25–35 nm, and is claimed to generate hydrogen at 600–750 mL/min/g. Catalyst synthesis heats water-soluble copper, aluminum, and magnesium salts with a non-reducing sugar, carbonizes at about 150–200 °C, comminutes the product, and calcines it at about 500–1200 °C for about 1–5 hours.
Potential applications
Potential applications
- Potential laboratory hydrogen generation from NaBH4.
- Potential on-demand chemical-hydride reactor research.
- Potential spinel-catalyst composition optimization studies.
- Potential catalyst-reuse and gas-capture development.
Evidence-supported advantages
Evidence-supported advantages
- Uses a CuO·MgAl2O4 heterogeneous catalyst.
- Defines catalyst loading, particle size, and reaction temperature.
- Includes capture of hydrogen evolved by hydrolysis.
- Provides a sugar-assisted catalyst-synthesis route.
Development stage
Development stage
Patent publication describing catalyst synthesis, characterization, and hydrogen-generation testing; independent validation and commercialization were not established.
Commercial opportunity
Commercial opportunity
The method may interest chemical-hydride and portable hydrogen-system developers. Commercial work should independently verify rate and total yield, catalyst dosage and reuse, copper leaching, hydrogen purity, heat and pressure control, NaBH4 storage, sodium-metaborate recovery and regeneration, gas-capture safety, catalyst scale-up, lifecycle energy, and delivered-hydrogen cost.
Patent classifications
Patent classifications
WIPO IPC
- C01B3/04Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
- B01J23/72Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
CPC
- B01J23/72Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
- B01J37/08Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
- C01B3/04Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
- B01J2523/22Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
- Y02E60/36Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions related to energy generation, transmission or distribution
- B01J2523/17Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
- B01J2523/31Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
Inventors
Inventors
- First inventorMohamed Nady Abd El-Hameed Ibrahim
- InventorBabiker Yagoub Elhadi Abdulkhair
- InventorMohamed Khairy Abdel Fattah Omran
Keywords
Keywords
- hydrogen
- sodium borohydride
- hydrolysis
- CuO
- MgAl2O4
- spinel
- nanocomposite catalyst
- gas capture
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.