Electrochemical bleach production

There are many applications in industry and household where oxygen-containing bleaching and disinfecting agents are used. The products used there mostly contain hydrogen peroxide as the main component, in some cases also peracetic acid as a far more effective component.
Hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid are hazardous substances and dangerous goods with limited storage stability. A safe electrochemical production at the place of consumption from non-hazardous raw materials is advantageous.
To achieve this, a reactor is designed which can produce the necessary hazardous substances in situ. First, the hydrogen peroxide is generated electrochemically by oxygen reduction using a gas diffusion electrode. The hydrogen peroxide can then be chemically converted to peracetic acid with a suitable activator.
To identify a suitable reactor, different cell modifications are investigated. Different cathode and anode materials as well as separators and membranes are evaluated using electrochemical and physico-chemical characterization methods. The applicability of different electrolytes, activators and catalysts will also be investigated.