Calcium-Vanadate Catalyst for Hydrogen Generation
Official patent title
Method of hydrogen generation through sodium borohydride hydrolysis using CaV2O6@CaSiO3@g-C3N4 nanocomposite
Arabic title: طريقة لتوليد الهيدروجين من خلال التحلل المائي لبوروهيدريد الصوديوم باستخدام المركب النانوي CaV2O6@CaSiO3@g-C3N4
Invention
Invention
Problem
Sodium-borohydride hydrolysis needs an active catalyst for rapid hydrogen release at moderate temperature. A practical system also needs repeatable activity, safe recovery, and viable carrier regeneration.
Why it matters
On-demand hydrogen production could support portable and backup fuel-cell research where compressed storage is impractical, provided the complete chemical cycle is addressed.
Approach
The method contacts sodium borohydride in water with a porous CaV2O6@CaSiO3@g-C3N4 nanocomposite containing oxide nanowires dispersed among carbon-nitride nanosheets.
Who may benefit
Potential beneficiaries include hydrogen-carrier researchers, catalyst manufacturers, portable fuel-cell developers, backup-power integrators, and chemical-energy-storage laboratories.
Potential value
The catalyst combines calcium metavanadate and calcium-silicate nanowires with carbon-nitride nanosheets and reports temperature-dependent hydrogen-generation rates and comparisons with uncatalyzed hydrolysis.
Background
Background
Sodium borohydride is a chemical hydrogen carrier that releases hydrogen when hydrolyzed. Nanostructured catalysts can accelerate the reaction by increasing accessible interfaces and combining complementary phases. Calcium metavanadate and calcium silicate nanowires dispersed among carbon-nitride sheets form the disclosed catalyst. Fast release alone does not establish system sustainability: catalyst reuse, vanadium leaching, hydrogen purity, heat management, and regeneration of spent borate remain important. The patent focuses on release and catalyst preparation rather than the complete carrier cycle.
Technology overview
Technology overview
The catalyst contains 20–40 wt.% each of g-C3N4, CaSiO3, and CaV2O6, has 2–16 nm average pores and 0.2–0.24 cm³/g pore volume, and places oxide nanowires among carbon-nitride nanosheets. At 35–40 °C, the stated rate is 2,200–2,400 mL/min per gram of catalyst and eight to eleven times the uncatalyzed rate. At 25–30 °C, it is 300–400 mL/min per gram and four to six times the uncatalyzed rate. Claims also specify catalyst and borohydride amounts and collected hydrogen volumes over time.
Potential applications
Potential applications
- On-demand hydrogen-generation research.
- Sodium-borohydride hydrolysis catalysis.
- Portable and backup fuel-cell supply studies.
- Nanowire/nanosheet catalyst development.
Evidence-supported advantages
Evidence-supported advantages
- Operates in a claimed 20–45 °C range.
- Combines oxide nanowires with carbon-nitride nanosheets.
- Reports temperature-dependent hydrogen rates.
- Reports four- to eleven-fold comparisons with no catalyst.
- Provides a multi-step catalyst synthesis route.
Development stage
Development stage
Laboratory catalyst synthesis, characterization, and sodium-borohydride hydrolysis measurements are described; repeated-cycle durability, integrated-system validation, lifecycle economics, and commercialization were not established. The development stage was not independently verified.
Commercial opportunity
Commercial opportunity
The catalyst may be evaluated for chemical hydrogen cartridges. Commercial viability requires repeated-cycle activity, catalyst recovery and vanadium leaching, hydrogen purity, thermal and pressure control, safe borohydride handling, scalable microwave-assisted manufacture, cost per hydrogen delivered, spent-borate management, and lifecycle analysis of carrier production and regeneration.
Patent classifications
Patent classifications
WIPO IPC
- C01B3/04Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
- B01J21/18Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
CPC
- C01B3/04Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
- B01J21/18Chemical 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
- B01J35/633Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
- B01J35/647Chemical 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
- B01J37/346Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
- C01B3/06Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
- C01B3/065Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
- C01B2203/1082Non-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
- InventorMohamed Khairy Omran
- InventorBabiker Yagoub Elhadi Abdulkhair
- InventorFaisal K. Algethami
Keywords
Keywords
- hydrogen generation
- sodium borohydride
- calcium metavanadate
- calcium silicate
- graphitic carbon nitride
- nanowire catalyst
- hydrolysis
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.