In this paper, carbon spheres with well-controlled nano-morphologies is fabricated by hydrothermal carbonization of biomass in the presence of sodium polyacrylate. Bimetallic Ni-x-Pd-y nanoparticles are successfully anchored on the carbon spheres and used as the heterogeneous catalyst for the hydrogen generation from ammonia borane. This combination of bimetallic Ni-Pd with carbon spheres is first proven to be responsible for the efficient production of hydrogen from ammonia borane, providing the turnover frequency value of 182 mol H-2 mol catalyst(-1) min(-1) at room temperature. The superior catalytic activity of the catalyst can be ascribed to the highly dispersed Ni-Pd nanoparticles and the synergetic interaction of the metal and the support. The present heterogeneous catalytic system presents itself as an excellent contender for clean hydrogen production via room temperature dehydrogenation of ammonia borane. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.