Influence of the using of methanol instead of water in the preparation of Co-B-TiO₂ catalyst for hydrogen production by NaBH₄ hydrolysis and plasma treatment effect on the Co-B-TiO₂ catalyst

In this work, methanol was used as an alternative to water. Our objective is to study the influence of the using of methanol instead of water in the preparation of Co-B-TiO₂ catalyst. It is also expected to improve the activity of Co-B-TiO₂ catalyst by plasma treatment for the hydrogen generation from hydrolysis of NaBH_4. The prepared catalysts were characterized using BET (N₂ adsorption), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), XRD (X-ray diffraction) and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) methods. The Co-B-TiO₂ catalyst prepared in methanol shows maximum hydrogen generation rate, which is about 3.0 times higher than that obtained for Co-B-TiO₂ catalyst prepared in water. The maximum hydrogen generation rates for the Co-B-TiO₂ catalysts prepared in water and methanol were 1017 and 3031 mL/min/g, respectively. In addition, the maximum hydrogen generation rates for the plasma treated Co-B-TiO₂ catalysts prepared in water and methanol were 1320 and 2656 mL/min/g, respectively. The activation energies of nth-order reaction model for the hydrogen production from hydrolysis of NaBH₄ with the plasma treated Co-B/TiO₂ catalyst prepared in methanol and Co-B/TiO₂ catalyst prepared in methanol can be obtained from the slope and intercept of the regression line, being 41.29 and 36.24 kJ/mol, respectively.