Abstract
Sand samples from Tampa (T) and Panama (P) City beaches in Florida were used as catalysts for dehydrogenation of NaBH4 in methanol. T and P sand samples were sieved to <250, 250 to 500, and >500 mu m sizes, and the smallest fractions resulted in faster hydrogen generation rates (HGR), 565 +/- 18 and 482 +/- 24 mL H-2 (min.g of catalyst)(-1), respectively. After various base/acid treatments, HGR values of 705 +/- 51 and 690 +/- 47 mL H-2 (min g of catalyst)(-1) for HCl-treated T and P sand samples were attained, respectively. Next, T and P sand samples were modified with polyethyleneimine (PEI) that doubled the HGR values, 1344 +/- 103, and 1190 +/- 87 mL H-2 (min.g of catalyst)(-1) and increased similar to 8-fold, 4408 +/- 187, and 3879 +/- 169 mL H-2 (min g of catalyst)(-1), correspondingly after protonation (PEI+). The Ea values of T and P sand samples were calculated as 24.6 and 25.9 kJ/mol, and increased to 36.1, and 36.6 kJ/mol for T-PEI(+)and P-PEI(+)samples, respectively.
