Solid-State Conversion of Magnesium Waste to Advanced Hydrogen-Storage Nanopowder Particles

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Sustainable Energy

Background:

• Metallic solid waste (SW) recycling is a growing global research focus.
• Utilizing SW magnesium (Mg) for high-hydrogen storage nanoparticles is novel.
• Existing methods lack efficient hydrogen storage solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the production of pure Mg ingots from machining chips.
• To develop high-quality Mg-nanoparticles for hydrogen storage.
• To investigate the effect of cold rolling and reactive ball milling on Mg hydride properties.

Main Methods:

• Melting and casting of Mg-machining chips into ingots.
• Production of Mg-ribbons via melting/casting and spinning.
• Severe plastic deformation of Mg-ribbons using cold rolling.
• Reactive ball milling of Mg strips under high-pressure hydrogen gas with titanium media.

Main Results:

• Successfully produced pure Mg ingots and high-quality Mg-ribbons.
• Obtained nanocrystalline magnesium hydride (MgH2) nanopowders after 100h milling.
• Achieved high hydrogen absorption/desorption kinetics at 275°C.
• Demonstrated that cold rolling is crucial for ultrafine MgH2 nanopowder formation.

Conclusions:

• Primer cold rolling of Mg-strips is essential for advanced MgH2 nanopowder kinetics.
• Nanocrystalline structure and titanium particle catalysis enhance gas diffusion and storage.
• This method offers a promising route for sustainable hydrogen storage materials from waste.