NSF Award
0078383
0078383<br/>Gopal<br/> This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will investigate the use of<br/>redox catalyst electrodes for the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide through electrochemical<br/>regeneration of the redox catalyst. In the Phase I research, catalysts were developed and<br/>their short-term stability for peroxide synthesis was successfully demonstrated. Flow cell<br/>operation with 10 cm2 electrode cells showed the preparation of hydrogen peroxide in<br/>acidic condition (1N H2SO4) at 60% current efficiency and up to 2% in peroxide<br/>concentration. However, Phase I work indicated poor catalytic current with oxygen for<br/>these redox systems, as well as an upper limit for hydrogen peroxide concentration (2%).<br/>Phase II research effort will be directed towards improving the catalytic effect of these<br/>redox catalysts through changes in preparative procedures, electrode structure, and<br/>fabrication technique. The electrodes will be tested and optimized for peroxide synthesis<br/>using oxygen/air and almost pure water (pH adjusted, if necessary) using flow cell<br/>experiments. The electrodes will be tested for long-tem stability (500 hours). Larger<br/>electrodes (100cm2 ) will be fabricated using the best composite electrode for long-term<br/>stability testing and process optimization. Commercialization of the process will be<br/>carried out with a Phase III partner upon the successful completion of Phase II work.<br/>Potential Commercial Application of the Research <br/> Hydrogen peroxide is a clean oxidant, which reacts to form water as its reaction product.<br/>It is therefore environmentally acceptable in many industries. The market for hydrogen<br/>peroxide is expected to grow by almost 10% for the next few years. New technology<br/>(synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from water and air) described in this Phase II proposal<br/>could be implemented for various applications. These areas include wastewater treatment, on-site generation (for industrial and consumer application such laundry bleach etc.), as well as commercial peroxide production.
