How to Use Borates to Store Hydrogen

Sodium borohydride is a naturally occurring compound in the environment and can be used to safely produce hydrogen to power fuel cells. This compound is better known as Borax, and when it is mixed with water and then heated, it releases hydrogen. Borohydride is a very unreactive compound and needs a catalyst before any hydrogen can be released, thus making it a good choice for storage. It is also relatively inexpensive and easily found in nature.

Things You'll Need

• 2 moles sodium borohydride
• 2 moles of water
• 300 kilojoules of heat

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Instructions

Use Borate to Store Hydrogen

• 1

  Add two moles of sodium borohydride to water: (2) NaBH4 + 2H2O'

• 2

  Add 300 kilojoules of heat as the catalyst.

• 3

  Notice that the result is four moles of hydrogen and sodium tetraborate: 4H2 + NaBO2