Indirect H 2 O 2 synthesis without H 2

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 15; no. 1; p. 766
• Main Authors: Fink, Arthur G, Delima, Roxanna S, Rousseau, Alexandra R, Hunt, Camden, LeSage, Natalie E, Huang, Aoxue, Stolar, Monika, Berlinguette, Curtis P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 26.01.2024
• ISSN: 2041-1723

Industrial hydrogen peroxide (H O ) is synthesized using carbon-intensive H gas production and purification, anthraquinone hydrogenation, and anthrahydroquinone oxidation. Electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) of anthraquinones offers a carbon-neutral alternative for generating H O using renewable electricity and water instead of H gas. However, the H O formation rates associated with ECH are too low for commercialization. We report here that a membrane reactor enabled us to electrochemically hydrogenate anthraquinone (0.25 molar) with a current efficiency of 70% at current densities of 100 milliamperes per square centimeter. We also demonstrate continuous H O synthesis from the hydrogenated anthraquinones over the course of 48 h. This study presents a fast rate of electrochemically-driven anthraquinone hydrogenation (1.32 ± 0.14 millimoles per hour normalized per centimeter squared of geometric surface of electrode), and provides a pathway toward carbon-neutral H O synthesis.