Hydrogen generation from waste Mg based material in various saline solutions (NiCl2, CoCl2, CuCl2, FeCl3, MnCl2)

•Waste magnesium chips were used as a raw material.•Ball milling application and saline solution method were preformed.•NiCl2, CoCl2, CuCl2, FeCl3, MnCl2 solutions were used to generate H2.•H2 generation did not observe in pure water.•100% conversion was achieved in NiCl2 solution.

In the present study, waste Mg based material (W/Mg) was used as a raw material for the generation of hydrogen. Ball milling and saline solution method were performed to ensure full completion of the hydrolysis reaction. Improved texture properties were obtained by ball milling W/Mg for 15 h (2.29 m2 g−1 BET area, 11.94 μm particle size). Ball milled W/Mg was used to generate hydrogen gas in the presence of various saline solutions (1 M NiCl2, CoCl2, CuCl2, FeCl3, and MnCl2). While hydrogen generation was not observed in pure water, maximum conversion (100%) was achieved in 1 M NiCl2 solution.