Lignocellulosic biomass based catalysis for hydrogen generation effect of pistachio shells and Raney nickel in NaBH4 hydrolysis

Pistachio shell, which has a layered, porous structure, is a natural polymer composed of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose. This study investigates the catalytic performance of a composite catalyst made from pistachio shell (PS) and Raney Ni (Ra-Ni) in sodium borohydride (NaBH4) hydrolysis for hydrogen production. Characterization techniques, ATR-FTIR, XRD, TGA, and FESEM-EDX, were utilized to analyze the morphology and structure of the catalyst. To assess catalytic performance, the rate of H2 generation was measured using a water displacement method at 298 K. A 0.15 g sample of catalyst, composed of 1:1 weight ratio of Ra-Ni and ball milled PS, was mixed with 100 mL of water and 1 wt% NaBH4. H2 production rate was monitored, providing insights into the catalyst's efficiency and effectiveness. Results demonstrated that the Ra-Ni and PS composite exhibited high catalytic activity, with H2 generation rates of 409 mL g- 1 catalyst after 450 s and 430 mL g- 1 catalyst after 900 s, respectively. Activation energy of Ra-Ni-PS was 23.30 kJ mol- 1. The produced composite has promising potential for H2 production applications via NaBH4 hydrolysis.