{"id":3919,"date":"2020-03-02T09:24:31","date_gmt":"2020-03-02T09:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=3919"},"modified":"2020-04-03T09:35:21","modified_gmt":"2020-04-03T08:35:21","slug":"the-sustainable-electrochemical-synthesis-of-hydrogen-peroxide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/the-sustainable-electrochemical-synthesis-of-hydrogen-peroxide\/3919\/","title":{"rendered":"The sustainable electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hydrogen peroxide (HP) is an important chemical that is produced yearly on a 2m ton scale and is relatively expensive for a simple molecule that consists of only four atoms. HP is used in in small quantities as an oxidiser and\/or an antibacterial agent in many products such as disinfectants, stain removers, clog-removers, bleach, hair colour agents, toothpaste, facial and body creams, mouth wash, antibacterial soap, antiseptic rinse products, odour removers, and contact lens solutions. In addition to this, large scale applications include the textile and paper industry, and the paper recycling process requires high amounts of peroxide in order to oxidatively remove ink. HP is considered to be a green oxidant because all of its atoms are transferred to the substrate with water being its only side product. However, its synthesis is not the most sustainable process.<\/p>\n
HP is exclusively produced by the chemical industry via the anthraquinone procedure.1-3<\/sup> In this process, HP is produced in a stepwise batch process that requires the usage of stoichiometric amounts of anthraquinone, and a cumbersome separation of these reagents. The synthesis of HP therefore is energy intensive and generates a lot of waste as a result of many different and complex side reactions that take place during the anthraquinone process. Preferably, it would be a lot better if HP could be produced in an electrochemical manner using a catalytic and sustainable process. A proof-of-concept design for such an application was recently published by the group of Haotian Wang, who produced pure aqueous H2O2 solutions up to 20% by weight.4 <\/sup><\/p>\n It is important to mention that it is not easy to find a good catalyst for the electrochemical production of HP. Reduction of dioxygen to water is more beneficial from a thermodynamic point of view than the reduction of dioxygen to HP which is an high energy intermediate on route to water. A catalyst is needed that very easily catalyses the first sequence of steps to produce HP, while the second steps towards HP proceeds over a large barrier (see Fig. 1).<\/p>\n