Effect of phosphoric acid addition on the hydrogen production from hydrolysis of NaBH4 with Cu based catalyst

Cu based catalysts were synthesized in water and methanol solvents by chemical reduction with sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). The obtained catalyst was used to catalyze the NaBH₄ hydrolysis reaction with phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) including different concentrations. Surface morphology and structural properties of the Cu based catalysts prepared in water and methanol solvents were studied using by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface area measurements and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses, respectively. The catalytic activity of the catalysts has been tested by measuring the hydrogen production rate by the acidified hydrolysis of NaBH₄. The maximum hydrogen production rates in the hydrolysis reaction including 0.25 M H₃PO₄ using the Cu based catalyst prepared in water and methanol solvents were 825 and 660 ml g^?1min^?1, respectively. At the same time, the hydrogen production experiments were carried out from this hydrolysis reaction with only H₃PO₄ and NaBH₄ interactions without using Cu metal catalyst. The activation energy obtained based on the nth order reaction model was found to be 61.16 kJ mol^?1.     

Fast and effective hydrogen production from ethanolysis and hydrolysis reactions of potassium borohydride using phosphoric acid

The hydrogen production from potassium borohydride (KBH₄) with the ethanolysis and hydrolysis reactions using the phosphoric acid as a catalyst is performed for the first time. KBH₄ concentration, phosphoric acid concentration and temperature effects were investigated for the optimum hydrogen production from ethanolysis and hydrolysis reactions of KBH₄. The maximum hydrogen production rates in the ethanolysis and hydrolysis reactions with 1 M phosphoric acid are 6423 and 4296 ml min^?1g^?1, respectively. At the same time, the ethanolysis and hydrolysis reactions with the 1 M acid concentration were completed within 7 and 9 s, respectively. The total conversions obtained for the volume ratio of KBH₄/acid of (1:1) were 100%. The power law kinetic model is performed for the kinetic studies. The activation energies for the ethanolysis and hydrolysis reactions of KBH₄ using phosphoric acid are found as 2.98 and 2.60 kJ mol^?1.     

Optimisation of sepiolite clay with phosphoric acid treatment as support material for CoB catalyst and application to produce hydrogen from the NaBH4 hydrolysis

Herein, the CoB catalyst supported on the sepiolite clay treated with phosphoric acid was utilized to produce hydrogen from the NaBH₄ hydrolysis. In order to analyse the performance of the phosphoric acid treated sepiolite clay supported-CoB catalyst, the NaBH₄ concentration effect, phosphoric acid concentration effect, phosphoric acid impregnation time effect, CoB catalyst percentage effect, and temperature effect were studied. In addition, XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, BET, and FTIR analysis were performed for characterization of Co–B catalyst supported on the acid-treated sepiolite. The completion time of this hydrolysis reaction with Co–B (20%) catalyst supported on the sepiolite treated by 5 M phosphoric acid was approximately 80 min, whereas the completion time of this hydrolysis reaction with acid-free sepiolite-supported Co–B (20%) catalyst was approximately 260 min. There is a five-fold increase in the maximum production rate. The maximum hydrogen production rates of this hydrolysis reaction at 30 and 60 °C were found as 1486 and 5025 ml min⁻¹g⁻¹_catalyst, respectively. Activation energy was found as 21.4 kJ/mol. This result indicates that the acid treatment on sepiolite is quite successful. The re-usability of NaBH₄ hydrolysis reaction by CoB catalyst supported on sepiolite treated phosphoric acid for successive five cycles of NaBH₄ at 30 °C was investigated.     

The effect of the concentration of hydrochloric acid and acetic acid aqueous solution for fast hydrogen production from methanol solution of NaBH4

The semi-methanolysis reactions with hydrochloric acid and acetic acid were used for the hydrogen production from sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). The effects of the NaBH₄ concentration, hydrochloric acid and, acetic acid concentration, and temperature on the reactions were investigated. The maximum hydrogen production rates in the semi-methanolysis with 1 M hydrochloric acid and acetic acid were 4875 and 3960 ml min^?1, respectively. At the same time, the semi-methanolysis reactions with the acids are completed within 4 and 5 s, respectively. The power law kinetic model is performed for kinetic studies. Activation energies for the semi-methanolysis reactions of NaBH₄ in the presence of hydrochloric acid and acetic acid were found as 5.84 and 2.81 kJ mol^?1, respectively.     

Salicylaldimine-Ni complex supported on Al2O3: Highly efficient catalyst for hydrogen production from hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

In this study, the Ni-based complex catalyst containing nickel of 1% supported on Al₂O₃ is used as for the hydrogen production from NaBH₄ hydrolysis. The maximum hydrogen production rate from hydrolysis of NaBH₄ with Ni-based complex catalyst supported on Al₂O₃ containing nickel of 1% is 62535 ml min^?1 g^?1 (complex catalyst containing 1 wt% Ni). The resulting complex catalyst is characterised by XRD, XPS, SEM, FT-IR, UV, and BET surface area analyses. The Arrhenius activation energy is found to be 27.29 kJ mol^?1 for the nickel-based complex catalyst supported on Al₂O₃. The reusability of the catalyst used in this study has also been investigated. The Ni-based complex catalyst supported on Al₂O₃ containing nickel of 1% is maintained the activity of 100% after the fifth use, compared to the first catalytic use. The n value for the reaction rate order of NaBH₄ is found to be about 0.33.     

Semi-methanolysis reaction of potassium borohydride with phosphoric acid for effective hydrogen production

The methanol and water solvents were used for the production of hydrogen from potassium borohydride. In addition, phosphoric acid was selected as the green catalyst so that this semi-methanolysis reaction would be more effective for the first time. The semi-methanolysis of potassium borohydride is investigated depend on potassium borohydride, phosphoric acid concentrations and temperatures. The maximum normalized hydrogen production rate obtained from this semi-methanolysis reaction with 1 M phosphoric acid as a catalyst was 5779 ml min ^?1 g^?1. In addition, this semi-methanolysis reaction was completed in 5 s. Kinetic studies have been carried out with the power law kinetic model. The activation energy obtained for this semi-methanolysis reaction is 1.45 kJ mol^?1.     

Synthesis of polymer supported Ni (II)-Schiff Base complex and its usage as a catalyst in sodium borohydride hydrolysis

Influence of using as catalysis, Ni-Schiff Base complex which we previously synthesized [1] used to support with amberzyme oxirane resin (A.O.R.) polymer for increasing the catalytic activity in NaBH₄ hydrolysis reaction, to hydrogen generation was studied. The prepared catalyst was characterized by using SEM, XRD, BET, FT-IR analyze technique. Polymer supported Ni-Schiff Base complex catalyzed NaBH₄ hydrolysis reaction was investigated depending on concentration of NaBH₄, concentration of NaOH, temperature, percentage of Ni complex in total polymer supported Ni-Schiff Base complex and amount of catalyst factors. The maximum hydrogen production rate from hydrolysis of sodium borohydride with nickel-based complex catalyst compared to the pure nickel catalyst is increased from 772 mL H₂·g^?1 cat.·min^?1 to 2240 mL H₂ g^?1 cat.·min^?1 [1], and with supported amberzyme oxirane resin polymer this nickel based complex catalyst was increased to 13000 mL H₂·g^?1 cat.·min^?1 at 30 °C. The activation energy of complex catalyzed NaBH₄ hydrolysis reaction was found as 25.377 kJ/mol. This work also includes kinetic information for the hydrolysis of NaBH₄.     

Investigation on salisylaldimine-Ni complex catalyst as an alternative to increasing the performance of catalytic hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

In this study, 5-amino-2, 4-dichlorophenol-3, 5-ditertbutylsalisylaldimine-Ni complex catalyst is synthesised and used as an alternative to previous studies to produce hydrogen from hydrolysis of sodium borohydride. The resulting complex catalyst is characterised by XRD, XPS, SEM, FT-IR and BET surface area analyses. Experimental works are carried out at 30 °C with 2% NaBH₄, 7% NaOH and 5 mg of catalyst. The maximum hydrogen production rate from hydrolysis of sodium borohydride with nickel-based complex catalyst compared to the pure nickel catalyst is increased from 772 ml min^?1g^?1 to 2240 ml min^?1g^?1 by an increase of 190%. At the same time, the hydrolysis reaction with pure nickel catalyst is completed in 145 min while the hydrolysis reaction with nickel-based complex catalyst is completed in 50 min. The activation energy of this hydrolysis reaction was calculated as 18.16 kJ mol^?1. This work also includes kinetic information for the hydrolysis of NaBH₄.The reusability of the nickel-based complex catalyst used in this study has also been studied. The nickel-based complex catalyst is maintained the activity of 72% after the sixth use, compared to the first catalytic use.     

A novel Enteromorpha based hydrogel for copper and nickel nanoparticle preparation and their use in hydrogen production as catalysts

A novel ploy(Enteromorpha-g-acrylic acid) p(EP-g-AA) hydrogel was synthesized and used as a template to prepare Cu and Ni nanoparticles. Then the hydrogel-metal nanoparticles (hydrogel-M (M: Cu, Ni)) were employed as catalyst in the generation of hydrogen from the hydrolysis of NaBH₄. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to determine the structure of p(EP-g-AA)-M (M: Cu, Ni) composite hydrogels. The effects of several parameters such as the amount of catalyst, initial concentration of NaBH₄ and reaction temperature on the hydrolysis reaction were investigated. The kinetics of the hydrolysis reaction under different temperatures was also evaluated to determine the activation parameters. Experimental results showed that the catalytic efficiency of p(EP-g-AA)-Ni was much better than the catalytic efficiency of p(EP-g-AA)-Cu. And increasing the amount of catalyst and decreasing the NaBH₄ concentration help to improve the reaction rate. Activation energy for the hydrolysis reaction was 42.61 kJ mol^?1 catalyzed by p(EP-g-AA)-Cu and 39.10 kJ mol^?1 by p(EP-g-AA)-Ni, respectively. At the end of five repetitive uses, p(EP-g-AA)-Cu composites possessed 64% activity and p(EP-g-AA)-Ni owned 70% activity. And after being stored for 30 days, p(EP-g-AA)-Cu and p(EP-g-AA)-Ni both remained 85% activity.     

Ethylene glycol as an alternative solvent approach for very efficient hydrogen production from sodium borohydride with phosphoric acid and acetic acid catalysts

For the first time, phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) and acetic acid (CH₃COOH) catalysts were used for efficient hydrogen (H₂) production from sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) ethylene glycolysis reaction. In this experimental study, the effects of ethylene glycol/water ratio, ethylene glycol/acid ratio, NaBH₄ concentration, acid concentration, and temperature were investigated. These ethylene glycol/water ratio experiments showed that the use of water alongside ethylene glycol negatively affects H₂ production. The hydrogen generation rate (HGR) values obtained for this ethylene glycolysis reaction with 1 M H₃PO₄ and 1 M CH₃COOH catalysts are 5800 and 4542 mLmin^-1, respectively. Also, the completion times of ethylene glycolysis reactions with these acids are 8 and 10 s, respectively. The n value obtained for ethylene glycolysis reactions according to the power-law kinetic model was 0.50. The activation energies obtained with H₃PO₄ and CH₃COOH catalysts were 24.45 kJ mol^?1and 33.23 kJ mol^?1, respectively.     

Apricot Kernel shell waste treated with phosphoric acid used as a green,metal-free catalyst for hydrogen generation from hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

In this study, grinded apricot kernel shell (GAKS) biobased waste was used for the first time as a cost-effective, efficient, green and metal-free catalyst for hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis reaction of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). For the hydrogen production by NaBH₄ hydrolysis reaction, GAKS was treated with various acids (HCl, HNO₃, CH₃COOH, H₃PO₄), salt (ZnCl₂) and base (KOH). As a result, the phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) demonstrated better catalytic activity than other chemical agents. The hydrolysis of NaBH₄ with the GAKS-catalyst (GAKS_cat) was studied depending on different parameters such as acid concentration, furnace burning temperature and time, catalyst amount, NaBH₄ concentration and hydrolysis reaction temperature. The obtained GAKS_cat was characterized by ICP-MS, elemental analysis, TGA, XRD, FT-IR, Boehm, TEM and SEM analyses and was evaluated for its catalytic activity in the hydrogen production from the hydrolysis reaction of NaBH₄. According to the results, the optimal H₃PO₄ percentage was found as 15%. The maximum hydrogen generation rate from the hydrolysis of NaBH₄ with the GAKS_cat was calculated as 20,199 mL min⁻¹ g_cat⁻¹. As a result, it can be said that GAKS treated with 15% H₃PO₄ as a catalyst for hydrogen production is an effective alternative due to its high hydrogen production rate.     

Enhanced H2 generation from NaBH4 hydrolysis and methanolysis by cellulose micro-fibrous cottons as metal templated catalyst

A simple, fast, economic and environmental friendly method has been developed for the preparation of high active metal nanoparticles (MNPs) in the cellulose microfibers of cotton (CFC). The CFCs are kept in aqueous solutions of metal salts to adsorb metal ions. The CFC templated with metal ions are then treated with aqueous solution of NaBH₄ for the reduction of metal ions into nano zero-valent metal nanoparticles (nZV-MNPs). The CFC loaded with nZV-MNPs are characterized by XRD, XPS, ATR-FTIR and FE-SEM, which indicates the successful synthesis of nZV-MNPs over the surface of CFC (M@CFC). The M@CFC are utilized as an efficient catalyst for the hydrogen generation from the methanolysis/hydrolysis of NaBH₄. The Cu@CFC showed better catalytic performance for the hydrolysis of NaBH₄, whereas Ag@CFC catalytic performance were much better than the other loaded MNPs for the methanolysis reaction of NaBH₄. Effects of different parameters, which affecting the H₂ generation, like type of MNPs, amount of the catalyst, amount of NaBH₄, temperature and addition of chitosan (CH) polymer are also investigated. A very low activation energy (Ea), approximately 20.11 ± 0.12 kJ mol^?1 for methanolysis reaction of NaBH₄ is calculated at temperature range 22–40 °C. Besides, a very high H₂ generation obtained in presence of 10, 50, or 100 μL CH solution (2 wt% CH in 20% v/v aqueous acetic acid) in addition to 50 mg of Ag@CFC catalyst at 22 °C and 1000 rpm. Moreover, the reusability of the catalyst is performed and found no decrease in percent conversion, whereas percent activity decreases 35% after four cycles.     

Synthesis of bifunctional non-noble monolithic catalyst Co-W-P/carbon cloth for sodium borohydride hydrolysis and reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Amorphous Co-W-P catalysts, which were prepared on carbon cloth (CC) by electrodeposition, have been investigated as bifunctional non-noble catalysts for the hydrogen generation from alkaline NaBH₄ solution and the reduction of 4-nitrophenol by NaBH₄. Scanning electron microscopes (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the Co-W-P/CC catalysts. The hydrogen generated catalytic properties of as-prepared catalysts with different content of P and the stability were investigated in the alkaline NaBH₄ solution of 5 wt% NaBH₄ and 2 wt% NaOH. The activation energy for hydrolysis of NaBH₄ by the Co-W-P catalyst was also probed at different temperature, and the results show that the obtained Co-W-P/CC catalysts exhibit very low apparent active energy (Ea = 27.18 kJ mol^?1). Finally, we detect the catalytic activity of Co-W-P/CC in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol for the first time, and it also presents outstanding catalytic capability with the apparent rate constant (k_app) of 11.91 × 10^?3 s^?1. These characteristics indicate that the Co-W-P/CC catalysts possess a potential application on both the sodium borohydride hydrolysis and reduction of 4-nitrophenol.     

Cobalt nanoparticles supported on magnetic core-shell structured carbon as a highly efficient catalyst for hydrogen generation from NaBH4 hydrolysis

A novel recyclable cobalt nanocatalyst, supported on magnetic carbon with core-shell structure, was successfully synthesized by using wetness impregnation-chemical reduction method for hydrogen generation from hydrolysis of NaBH₄. The resultant nanocomposite was characterized to determine the structural and physical-chemical properties by a series of analytical techniques such as FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM (scanning electron microscope), EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), TEM (transmission electron microscopy), etc. The results demonstrated that amorphous cobalt nanoparticles were homogeneously surrounded on the surface of the support due to having abundant hydrophilic groups (such as aldehyde and hydroxyl groups) on the surface of carbon layer for the effective immobilization of metal ions. The supported catalyst showed superior catalytic performance towards the hydrolysis reaction of NaBH₄ at room temperature. The total rate of hydrogen generation and activation energy were calculated to be 1403 ml H₂ g_cat^?1 min^?1 and 49.2 kJ mol^?1, respectively, which were comparable to the values of most cobalt-based catalyst reported for hydrogen production from hydrolysis of NaBH₄. Additionally, reusability test revealed that the hydrogen in NaBH₄ substrate could be completely released within 25 min with a minimum hydrogen generation rate of 832 ml H₂ g_cat^?1 min^?1 even after five runs of hydrolytic reaction, implying the as-prepared Co/Fe₃O₄@C composite could be considered as a promising candidate catalyst for portable hydrogen fuel system such as PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cells).     

Highly stable and controllable CoB/Ni-foam catalysts for hydrogen generation from alkaline NaBH4 solution

In this work, a series of shaped CoB/Ni-foam catalysts were directly synthesized by using a convenient and simple electroless plating method. Despite the low loading amount of CoB, the catalysts showed high catalytic performance in the hydrolysis of NaBH₄ solution, and the maximum hydrogen generation rate reached 1930 mL min^?1 (g CoB)^?1 in 1 wt % NaBH₄ + 5 wt % NaOH solution at 293 K. The catalysts demonstrated distinct stability, and the hydrogen generation rate was almost unchanged after 6 cycles. Furthermore, the catalysts could be easily recovered from the reaction system by a magnet. These characteristics make CoB/Ni-foam a high performance and cost effective catalyst for practical applications of hydrogen generation.     

Carbon spheres from lactose as green catalyst for fast hydrogen production via methanolysis

Micrometer sized carbon spheres (CSs) are prepared in a single step using lactose precursor via hydrothermal method. These CSs are chemically modified with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl ammonium chloride (CHPACl) and triethylenetetramine (TETA) to generate amine groups on the particle surface. Modified CSs with TETA was protonated with HCl as CSs-TETA-HCl that the zeta potential is increased to +40.3 ± 0.70 from ?51.4 ± 4.66 mV. The catalytic performance of CSs are tested as catalysts in the methanolysis of NaBH₄, and the best catalytic performance as 2586 mL min^?1 g^?1 hydrogen generation rate (HGR) was obtained by CSs-TETA-HCl catalyst at 298 K as metal free catalyst. Furthermore, various parameters such as the amount of NaBH₄, the reaction temperature, and the reusability of CSs-TETA-HCl particles are investigated. More importantly, relatively low activation energy, 23.82 kJ mol^?1 for CSs-TETA-HCl catalyzed NaBH₄ methanolysis reaction is obtained in comparison to metal nanoparticle and metal free catalysts reported for the same purpose in the literature.     

Solution combustion synthesized lithium cobalt oxide as a catalytic precursor for the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

Solution combustion synthesis (SCS) has recently been explored as one method to synthesize metal oxides (e.g. Co₃O₄) that can serve as catalytic precursors for the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). In this work, SCS is used to produce the mixed metal oxide lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO₂) from a solution of cobalt nitrate, lithium acetate, and glycine. Its subsequent use as an effective catalyst precursor for NaBH₄ hydrolysis is characterized and compared to commercially available LiCoO_2. To remove residual impurities from the SCS material the materials were heated at a rate of 10 °C min^?1 and held for 2 h at temperatures ranging from 500 to 800 °C and subsequently characterized. It was found that the layered phase of LiCoO₂ results at heat treat temperatures above 700 °C. Using a 0.6 wt.% aqueous solution of NaBH₄ at 25 °C and a 1 wt.% catalyst precursor loading, an optimized HGR of 2.09 L min^?1 g_cat^?1 was achieved for the solution combustion synthesized LiCoO₂. In contrast, at the same conditions, a HGR of 0.29 L min^?1 g_cat^?1 was obtained for commercial materials even though the specific surface area was much higher.     

Chitosan-mediated Co–Ce–B nanoparticles for catalyzing the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

Highly dispersed Co–Ce–B nanoparticles supported on chitosan-derived carbon (Co–Ce–B/Chi–C) were synthesized through chemical reduction and carbonization. The morphology and microstructure of the Co–Ce–B/Chi–C nanocomposite were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller adsorption analysis. This nanocomposite had uniform morphology and large surface area, and it showed high catalytic activity for NaBH₄ hydrolysis and good cycle stability. Compared with unsupported Co–Ce–B particles, this nanocomposite showed greatly increased catalytic activity for NaBH₄ hydrolysis. A remarkably high hydrogen generation rate of 4760 mL^?1 min^?1 g^?1 at 30 °C was achieved with low activation energy of 33.1 kJ mol^?1. These results indicate that the Co–Ce–B/Chi–C nanocomposite is a promising catalyst for on-demand hydrogen generation via NaBH₄ hydrolysis.     

Experimental studies on the catalytic behavior of alloy and core-shell supported Co-Ni bimetallic nano-catalysts for hydrogen generation by hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

Monometallic (Co) and bimetallic (Co-Ni and Co-Cu) oxides catalysts supported on the almond based activated carbon (AC) were prepared by the heterogeneous deposition-precipitation method. The activity of these catalysts was evaluated as a function of reaction temperature, NaOH, and NaBH₄ concentration. Several analysis methods including XRD, XPS, FTIR, TEM, FESEM, ICP-OES, and BET were applied to characterize the structure of prepared samples. Well-dispersed supported bimetallic nano-catalysts with the size of particles below 20 nm were formed by using nickel and copper oxides as a promoter which was confirmed by XRD and TEM techniques. Surface composition of alloy and core-shell cobalt-nickel oxides catalysts was analyzed by ICP-OES which was in a good agreement with nominal content during catalyst preparation. The performance of bimetallic cobalt-nickel oxides catalysts indicated the synergic effect between cobalt and nickel in comparison with monometallic and bimetallic cobalt-copper samples for hydrogen production. Maximum hydrogen generation rate was measured for the supported core-shell catalyst as named Ni1/Co3/AC. The reaction rate increased with increasing the temperature of the alkaline solution as a significant parameter while other operating conditions were kept constant. The optimal values for NaOH and NaBH₄ content were calculated to be 10 wt % for both variables at 30 °C. Hydrogen production rates were calculated to be 252.0, 310.8 and 658.8 mL min^?1.g^?1 by applying Co3/Ni1/AC, Co3-Ni1/AC (alloy) and Ni1/Co3/AC at 30 °C in 5 wt % NaBH₄ and 5 wt % NaOH solutions, respectively. Obtained activation energy (50 kJ mol^?1) illustrated that the suitable catalysts were synthesized for hydrogen generation. The experimental study showed that the hydrolysis of NaBH₄ was a zero-order type reaction with the respect to the sodium borohydride concentration. A semi empirical kinetic model was derived at the various temperatures and NaOH concentrations.     

Highly efficient and reactivated electrocatalyst of ruthenium electrodeposited on nickel foam for hydrogen evolution from NaBH4 alkaline solution

Cyclic life of catalyst for hydrolysis of sodium borohydride is one of the key issues, which hinder commercialization of hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) solution. This paper is aimed at promoting the cyclic life of Ru/Ni foam catalysts by employing an electro-deposition method. The effect of hydrolysis parameters on hydrolysis of sodium borohydride was studied for improving the catalytic performance. It is found that the hydrogen generation rate (HGR) of the hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by Ru/Ni foam catalyst can reach as high as 23.03 L min^?1 g^?1 (Ru). The Ru/Ni foam catalyst shows good catalytic activity after a cycleability test of 100 cycles by rinsing with HCl, which is considered as more effective method than rinsing with water for recovering the performance of Ru/Ni foam catalyst.