Oxygen and nitrogen-functionalized porous carbon particles derived from hazelnut shells for the efficient catalytic hydrogen production reaction

Highlights: • Activated carbon based on hazelnut shells was prepared. • Oxygen and nitrogen-functionalized porous carbon particles was prepared. • Metal-free catalysts were used to obtain H₂ from methanolysis of NaBH₄. • HGR obtained with N-AC-N was 16250 mL min⁻¹g⁻¹. • Activation energy value of N-AC-N was 11.45 kJmol^-1. Due to their low cost and high availability, interest in biomass materials in catalytic studies is increasing. It is possible to increase the catalytic activities by the development of metal-free catalysts obtained by adding different atoms to carbon materials. Here, oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N) doped metal-free carbon catalysts (N-AC-N) were synthesized using activated carbon (AC) obtained from hazelnut shells by KOH activation. These metal-free catalysts were used successfully for the first time in the NaBH₄ methanolysis reaction (NaBH₄-MR). The structural and physical-chemical properties of the metal-free catalysts obtained were analysed by XRD (X-ray diffraction), elemental analysis (CHNS), FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), and nitrogen adsorption surface analyses. N and O doped metal-free catalyst showed very good catalytic performance against NaBH₄-MR. The hydrogen production rate (HGR) with 10 mg metal-free catalyst at 30 °C and the activation energy(Ea) of the reaction were calculated as 16250 mL min⁻¹ g⁻¹ and 11.45 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. At the same time, with favourable reusability results, this metal-free catalyst is a promising candidate for the hydrogen(H₂) generation system.