106
Nanocomposite Catalytic
Membrane for Reagentless Hydrogen
Dr. Wayne E. Buschmann,
Ms. Eileen E. Sammells, Business
Official, esammells@eltronresearch.com
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-05ER84230
Amount: $99,998
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 $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. This
project will develop a nanocomposite catalytic membrane technology that
combines a reagentless “green” hydrogen peroxide production process with a low
energy turn-key process. The 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 determined. 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.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The nanocomposite catalytic membranes should 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, and water sterilization. Also, hydrogen peroxide is the environmentally desirable replacement for chlorine.