The jet aerator as oxygen supplier for the electrochemical generation of H2O2

Abstract

The hydrogen peroxide is a key and versatile compound that can be readily produced in one-pot electrochemical reactors via the 2 eoxygen reduction reaction. In all the electrolyzers studied up to date, the external aeration is carried out by means of a compressor. In this work, the compressor is substituted by a device based on the Venturi effect to minimize the acquisition, maintenance and operating costs associated to the aeration of the reactor. Interestingly, it was found that this aerator can super saturate in oxygen the solution thanks to the formation of air bubbles.The catalytic effect of carbon black (CB) and/or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to increase the production of H2O2 was studied, observing a synergistic effect 2 when the CB/PTFE mixture was deposited on the carbon felt cathode. Efficient hydrogen peroxide generation was obtained at 15 mA cm -2 : instantaneous production rate of around 9.2 mg H2O2 h -1 cm -2 and a corresponding current efficiency in the order of 90%. The limiting current density increased when the jet aerator was used thanks to i) the super saturation of the solution (dissolved oxygen + air bubbles) and ii) the ability of the CB/PTFE modified carbon felt to use them as oxygen source. The jet aerator is rather promising for the electrochemical generation of hydrogen peroxide.

Highly efficient electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide on a superhydrophobic three-phase interface by natural air diffusion

“…In recent years, some researchers are committed to solving these problems in various ways 16,17 . Gas diffusion electrode (GDE) is currently the most widely used strategy to improve the oxygen mass transfer efficiency of ORR, which allows oxygen to be supplied externally to the cathode surface without the need for its dissolution in the electrolyte and promotes H 2 O 2 electrosynthesis efficiency 18 .…”

Reactor design as a critical input in the electrochemical production of peroxoacetic acid

“…A key aspect to be considered for the success of an electrochemical synthesis process is a proper design of the reactor. In this research field, our research group recently developed a flow through jet reactor (described in the experimental section) that efficiently performs the production of H 2 O 2 . This reactor design is based on the use of a flow‐through carbon‐based cathode and on the application of a jet aerator as an O 2 supplier instead of using a compressor.…”

“…In this research wileyonlinelibrary.com/jctb field, our research group recently developed a flow through jet reactor (described in the experimental section) that efficiently performs the production of H 2 O 2 . [15][16][17] This reactor design is based on the use of a flow-through carbon-based cathode and on the application of a jet aerator as an O 2 supplier instead of using a compressor. Based on this idea, a similar concept was developed to produce PAA in the search for a higher efficiency in the production of these valuable products.…”

“…Simultaneously, we developed a novel design for the electrochemical production of H 2 O 2 based on two innovations: (i) replacement of the compressor used in a typical GDE design by a jet device that supersaturates the solution with oxygen (O 2 ), and (ii) the use of a flow‐through cathode . This device was tested to produce H 2 O 2 and showed promising behavior, reporting some of the highest production yields and efficiencies yet reported for the electrochemical production of this compound.…”

Photo-assisted electrochemical advanced oxidation processes for the disinfection of aqueous solutions: A review

“…For this purpose, electrodes made of carbonaceous materials such as carbon fibers, carbon felts and reticulated carbon vitreous are commonly used due to their high superficial area, high overpotential for H 2 evolution and to their low catalytic activity for H 2 O 2 reduction ( Bañuelos et al., 2016 ; García-Rodríguez et al., 2016 ; Mousset and Dionysiou, 2020 ; Pérez et al., 2017a ; Zárate-Guzmán et al., 2019 ; Zhou et al., 2018 ). Furthermore, the performance of the carbonaceous cathodes towards H 2 O 2 generation can be improved by the addition of PTFE and carbon black ( Jiao et al., 2020 ; Pérez et al, 2017b , 2019 ; Zhang et al., 2020c ; Zhao et al., 2019 ).…”