Hydrogen production from Al catalytic hydrolysis using highly active Nano composite CaO-AlOOH/Graphene oxide (GO) catalysts derived from eggshell and cauliflower stems

The hydrolysis of lightweight Al-based materials to produce hydrogen is a promising technology for compact hydrogen fuel cell production. However, developing nanostructures on a wide scale and at a low cost remains a major challenge. Herein, the high catalytic effect of CaO-γ-AlOOH/Graphene Oxide (GO) Nanocomposites (NCs) catalyst for hydrogen generation from Al and H₂O reaction is discussed. These γ-phase aluminum oxyhydroxide Nanorods (NRs) (γ-AlOOH) on GO were synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method. High crystalline CaO-γ-AlOOH/GO NCs prepared by a mechanical graining with CaO nanoparticles (NPs). Experimental results show that small amounts of GO and CaO composite into γ-AlOOH NRs have high catalytic performance on the Al/H₂O reaction for hydrogen generation at 25℃. In the catalysis process, the presence of oxygen on the catalyst surface promotes the formation of hydroxyl groups through a chemisorption process, further enhancing the catalytic activity. Because of high OH– concentrations in the local domain with a rise in the amount of Al(OH)₃ precipitate byproduct, Al corrodes quickly and totally in a weak alkaline solution (pH < 8) after several contributions of Al batches. Accordingly, this research developed an excellent prediction for considering the Al reaction rate with H₂O using CaO and/or GO composite crystalline γ-AlOOH catalyst.