Nanocomposite Catalytic Membrane for Reagentless Hydrogen Peroxide Production
DOE Phase I Contract DE-FG02-05ER84230
Hydrogen peroxide is an important disinfectant, oxidizer, and bleaching agent for water treatment, chemical and industrial processes. Commercial hydrogen peroxide production is dominated by the “anthraquinone” auto oxidation process. This multi-step, chemical and energy intensive reaction process provides large, concentrated volumes of product for the cheapest price, $0.70-$0.80 per pound or 10 times the cost of chlorine bleach. Turn-key electrolytic processes can produce hydrogen peroxide at comparable prices, but are limited to much lower product concentrations due to inherent limitations in electrocatalytic selectivity.
A new nanocomposite catalytic membrane technology that combines a reagentless “green” hydrogen peroxide production process with a low energy turn-key process will be developed during the Phase I and Phase II programs. This technology aims to address key technical issues that currently limit production rates and concentrations for current electrolytic and non-selective catalytic processes. This new technology is anticipated to enable hydrogen peroxide production directly from hydrogen and oxygen in a single-step at a cost comparable to chlorine bleach.
During Phase I a new family of oxidatively stable thin film composite nanofiltration membranes will be fabricated and impregnated with catalytic nanoparticles using established in-situ methods. Membrane morphology, thickness, catalyst loading and nanoparticle size will be evaluated. Hydrogen peroxide production performance will be evaluated using a membrane reactor. The best candidate membranes and processing methods will be fully developed and demonstrated in Phase II resulting in a production-ready technology for licensing.
Successful development of the proposed nanocomposite catalytic membranes will allow hydrogen peroxide to be produced at much lower cost with little chemical consumption or waste. The primary use of hydrogen peroxide is in the paper and textile industries accounting for almost half the annual global consumption of nearly 8 billion pounds. Other uses are in wastewater treatment, disinfection of sanitary process equipment, hydrometallurgical processes, propulsion and power, water sterilization, and is the environmentally desirable replacement for chlorine.