A simple method of improving hydrogen generation from the reaction between highly activated Mg powder and water is established. The Mg-H2O reaction is found to become faster and more intense when magnesium is mixed with salts and subjected to by high-energy ball milling. Among the studied salts, AlCl3 has the best performance. The milling time and salt content significantly affect the final hydrogen yield and reaction kinetics. Among all studied samples, 6 h-milled Mg-3 mol% AlCl3 shows the best performance with a hydrogen yield of 93.86% and IHGR (initial hydrogen generation rate) of 455.9 ml min(-1).(g Mg)(-1) within 1 h. The initial temperature is also found to have a remarkable influence on the hydrolysis of the Mg-AlCl3 mixture, and the reaction can proceed to 100% conversion in 1 min with an IHGR of 933.3 ml min(-1).(g Mg)(-1) at 80 degrees C. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.