Hydrogen is considered a promising alternative to fossil fuels due to its high energy content and low CO₂ emissions during use, although its low volumetric energy density hinders large-scale storage and transport. One solution is the use of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) as a storage and hydrogen generation system through hydrolysis, which unfortunately requires catalysts to achieve high conversions in shorter reaction times. Among the heterogeneous catalysts for this process, transition metals such as cobalt stand out for their high activity and lower cost compared to other materials. In this work, cobalt catalysts carried on porous carbon structures obtained from residual Jatropha Curcas shells were developed through hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), followed by partial oxidation of the material. The results revealed that the catalyst oxidized at 350°C optimized the hydrogen generation rate (HGR) up to 756.6 mL H₂ min⁻¹ gcatalyst⁻¹, significantly reducing the activation energy compared to hydrolysis without a catalyst. Additionally, this material successfully retained its catalytic activity after five reuse cycles. FTIR, XRD, and SEM analyses confirmed the presence and distribution of cobalt oxide throughout the porous surface of the carbon layout, which favors contact with NaBH₄ in solution and improves the overall efficiency of the reaction. In this way, the valorization of an agricultural residue for the production of catalysts applied to sustainable hydrogen generation is encouraged.
