| “Green Hydrogen and Carbon Nanotube Production from Recycled Alkaline Battery Graphite Electrodes via High-Current Arc in a Closed System” |
| Paper ID : 1005-NFOS |
| Authors |
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Hassan M. M. Mustafa1, Rehab Metwally Mohamed2, Sherihan Elhadidy2, Montaser Ghaly2, Abdelrhman Atef Ibrahim *2, Mohamed Khaled Abdelghani2, Abdelrhman Ahmed Hosni2, Mahmoud Abdel Fattah Alwasif2, omer adel2, Mostafa Saad Khalifa2, Abdallah A Mohamaden2 1National Research Centre 2Canal High Institute of Engineering and Technology |
| Abstract |
| The global energy crisis, environmental pollution, and growing e-waste call for urgent, sustainable solutions. Traditional energy relies on fossil fuels, causing greenhouse gas emissions, while improper disposal of electronic waste—especially spent alkaline batteries—pollutes soil and water. Meanwhile, the demand for nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) faces high costs and energy-intensive production. This study introduces a green method to address all three issues by recycling graphite electrodes from D-type alkaline batteries to generate hydrogen and high-purity CNTs. A closed arc discharge system (14V, 30–50A) in distilled water enabled dual production of CNTs and hydrogen without hazardous chemicals. High current created localized sparks that raised temperature, promoting hydrogen evolution and CNT crystallization. The device consists of a thick transparent acrylic chamber with a hydrogen outlet and uses recycled graphite rods. When the rods contact under current, arc discharge vaporizes carbon atoms, which reassemble into CNTs as they cool in water. Water molecules also split, releasing hydrogen gas. Experiments examined current effects (30A, 40A, 50A) on hydrogen output. Higher current increased gas yield and reduced time. At 50A, temperature reached 95°C, speeding generation; at 30A, it remained 15–25°C with minimal impact. In all cases, 50 ml of hydrogen was produced, but time varied: 6.5s at 30A, 4.8s at 40A, and 1.4s at 50A, confirming improved performance at higher current. CNTs showed excellent mechanical strength and purity via SEM, TEM, XRD, and BET. This scalable waste-to-resource method supports circular economy goals while offering low-cost, green energy and nanomaterial production. |
| Keywords |
| Green hydrogen, carbon nanotubes, battery recycling, arc discharge, sustainable energy, nanomaterials. |
| Status: Accepted |