Yes, but the problem with your scenario is that zirconium oxide is a VERY STABLE compound. Hydrogen doesn't react with it under any conditions I know about, and certainly not at the low temperatures in the E-Cat. You may be confusing the situation with zirconium METAL (used as fuel rod cladding in nuclear reactors), but it goes the other way....at high temps, in the presence of water, the reaction MAKES hydrogen and forms zirconium oxide.
"The amount of hydrogen available is an issue, but in addition to the free hydrogen there is probably also a very large quantity of hydrogen adsorbed on the extremely large surface area of the nanopowder, before the disconnection.
Nope. They determine the hydrogen loading by weighing the cylinder before and after. Doesn't matter if the hydrogen is free or "on the surface of the nanopowder". The total amount is known. And it's only a few grams.
FYI....I'm a chemist.
This weighing before and after was with the bathroom scales, right? The ones that would support 13,000 kg?