Electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9926634-B2
Application number	US-201414916604-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2014
Priority date	Sep 4, 2013
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

This invention relates to a process and reactor for the electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide.
The process comprises producing protons at an anode, transporting produced protons through a cation exchange membrane into catholyte, producing peroxide anions in a cathode membrane assembly comprising a gas diffusion electrode and an anion exchange membrane adjoined to said gas diffusion electrode and in contact with said catholyte, which produced peroxide anions migrate at least in part into said catholyte, and combining protons and peroxide anions in said catholyte to form hydrogen peroxide.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Process for the electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide, comprising producing protons at an anode, transporting produced protons through a cation exchange membrane into catholyte, producing peroxide anions in a cathode membrane assembly comprising a first gas diffusion electrode and an anion exchange membrane adjoined to said first gas diffusion electrode, wherein said first gas diffusion electrode provides a cathode, and in contact with said catholyte, which produced peroxide anions migrate at least in part into said catholyte, and combining protons and peroxide anions in said catholyte to form hydrogen peroxide, wherein there is a reaction volume between said anode and said cathode membrane assembly, wherein said cation exchange membrane divides said reaction volume in a compartment for anolyte and a compartment for catholyte, wherein a second gas diffusion electrode provides an anode, and said anion exchange membrane is exposed to said compartment for catholyte, wherein an anode membrane assembly comprises a cation exchange membrane adjoined to said second gas diffusion electrode, wherein said anode membrane assembly and cathode membrane assembly define a reaction volume and wherein said cation exchange membrane and said anion exchange membrane are exposed to said reaction volume.

2. Process according to claim 1 , wherein said catholyte comprises an aqueous solution and has a pH of 2-8.

3. Process according to claim 1 , wherein said catholyte comprises at least 0.01 M potassium ions, at least 0.01M sodium ions, or at least 0.01M combined potassium and sodium ions.

4. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the process is carried out in an electrochemical cell and wherein the amount of catholyte within the electrochemical cell is no more than 200 liter catholyte per m 2 of anion exchange membrane.

5. Process according to claim 1 , wherein said anode and said cation exchange membrane are in contact with anolyte and wherein said anolyte has a pH of 6 or less.

6. Reactor for a process according to claim 1 , comprising:
a cathode membrane assembly comprising an anion exchange membrane adjoined to a first gas diffusion electrode, wherein said first gas diffusion electrode is a cathode; and
an anode membrane assembly comprising a cation exchange membrane adjoined to a second gas diffusion electrode, wherein said second gas diffusion electrode is an anode, wherein said anode membrane assembly and cathode membrane assembly define a reaction volume and said cation exchange membrane and said anion exchange membrane are exposed to said reaction volume.

7. Reactor according to claim 6 , wherein said gas diffusion electrode and said anion exchange membrane are attached face-to-face to each other.

8. Reactor according to claim 6 , wherein the anion exchange membrane and the gas diffusion electrode are in contact with each other over at least 90% by area of a side of each.

9. Reactor according to claim 6 , comprising an anode membrane assembly, wherein said gas diffusion electrode and said anion exchange membrane are attached face-to-face to each other.

10. Process according to claim 1 , wherein said process is carried out in a reactor comprising a cathode membrane assembly comprising an anion exchange membrane adjoined to a gas diffusion electrode, and an anode membrane assembly comprising a cation exchange membrane adjoined to a second gas diffusion electrode, wherein said anode membrane assembly and cathode membrane assembly define a reaction volume and said cation exchange membrane and said anion exchange membrane are exposed to said reaction volume.

11. Process according to claim 10 , for the electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide, carried out in a reactor comprising
a cathode membrane assembly comprising an anion exchange membrane adjoined to a first gas diffusion electrode, and
an anode membrane assembly comprising a cation exchange membrane adjoined to a second gas diffusion electrode, and
a reaction volume between said anode membrane assembly and cathode membrane assembly and said cation exchange membrane and said anion exchange membrane are exposed to said reaction volume,

the process comprising
producing protons at said second gas diffusion electrode as anode, transporting produced protons through said cation exchange membrane into catholyte,
producing peroxide anions in said cathode membrane assembly, which produced peroxide anions migrate at least in part into said catholyte,
and combining protons and peroxide anions in said catholyte to form hydrogen peroxide.

12. Method of treating an object, surface, or fluid, comprising electrochemically producing hydrogen peroxide according to the process of claim 1 and adding produced hydrogen peroxide to an object, surface, or fluid, to be treated.

13. Method of treating an object, surface, or fluid, according to claim 12 using a reactor comprising a cathode membrane assembly comprising an anion exchange membrane adjoined to a gas diffusion electrode, and an anode, and a cation exchange membrane, and a reaction volume between said anode and said cathode membrane assembly, wherein said cation exchange membrane divides said reaction volume in a compartment for anolyte and a compartment for catholyte and said anion exchange membrane is exposed to said compartment for catholyte.

14. Method according to claim 12 , for disinfecting swimming pool water and/or preventing or reducing bacterial growth therein, comprising the steps of:
producing hydrogen peroxide on site by the steps of:
producing protons at an anode;
transporting produced protons through a cation exchange membrane into catholyte;
producing peroxide anions in a cathode membrane assembly comprising a gas diffusion electrode and an anion exchange membrane adjoined to said gas diffusion electrode and in contact with said catholyte, which produced peroxide anions migrate at least in part into said catholyte; and
combining protons and peroxide anions in said catholyte to form hydrogen peroxide; and,
adding produced hydrogen peroxide to swimming pool water to be treated.

15. The method according to claim 14 for disinfecting swimming pool water, wherein the hydrogen peroxide is produced in the same location as the hydrogen peroxide is added.

Assignees

• TNO

Inventors

• Bisselink Roel Johannes Martinus
• Van Erkel Joost

Classifications

• C02F2201/46115

  Electrolytic cell with membranes or diaphragms · CPC title

• C02F2001/46138

  Electrodes comprising a substrate and a coating · CPC title

• C25B9/08

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B1/30 Primary

  Peroxides · CPC title

• C02F2103/42

  from bathing facilities, e.g. swimming pools · CPC title