Cobalt loaded organic acid modified kaolin clay for the enhanced catalytic activity of hydrogen release via hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

Inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid (HCl), nitric acid (HNO 3 ) and sulphuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) are generally used in the acid modification of clays. Here, CoB catalyst was synthesized on the acetic acid-activated kaolin support material (CH 3 COOH -kaolin- CoB) with an alternative approach. This prepared catalyst, firstly, was used to catalyze the hydrolysis of NaBH 4 (NaBH 4 -HR). The structure of the raw kaolin, kaolin-CH 3 COOH, and CH 3 COOH-kaolin-CoB samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and nitrogen adsorption. At the same time, this catalyst performance was examined by Co loading, NaBH 4 concentration, NaOH concentration, temperature and reusability parameters. The end times of this hydrolysis reaction using raw kaolin-CoB and CH 3 COOH-kaolin-CoB were found to be approximately 140 and 245 min, respectively. The maximum hydrogen generation rates (HGRs) obtained at temperatures 30 °C and 50 °C were 1533 and 3400 mL/min/g catalyst, respectively. At the same time, the activation energy was found to be 49.41 kJ/mol.