Catalytic properties of Co/activated carbon catalyst prepared from wheat stalk

For hydrogen generation from an aqueous alkaline NaBH(4) solution, a novel biomass precursor for the production of Co/activated carbon (Co/AC)) catalyst was studied in this investigation. To design a hydrogen generator, the hydrogen generation rate was measured using the Co/AC catalyst as a function of calcination time, calcination temperature and impregnation mass ratio of CoCl(2)/AC. SEM and XRD analysis revealed that the prepared catalyst consisted of a crystalline form of Co(3)O(4) and had a good dispersion and coating properties. It was observed that increasing the solution temperature causes more hydrogen generation. The activation energy for the NaBH(4) hydrolysis reaction was calculated to be 37.4 kJ mol(-1).