SBIR Phase I: Advanced alkaline electrolyzer stack for hydrogen peroxide onsite production

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is a significant advance in the production of hydrogen peroxide. The project, if successful, will yield an on-site electrolytic generation method that reduces the cost of peroxide production by up to 50% compared to the traditional centralized chemical process. By reducing cost, hydrogen peroxide can be used more widely as an oxidizer in bleaching, wastewater treatment, and other processes, ultimately lowering chlorine pollution by replacing chlorine-based oxidizers. The paper/pulp and textiles industry in particular will benefit from lower cost bleaching chemicals and reduced effluent treatment costs. The electrolytic method reduces environmental pollution and eliminates the need for transportation of explosive high concentration hydrogen peroxide. The innovative electrolyzer design used for hydrogen peroxide production will enhance the scientific knowledge base on how to build improved electrode structures that support multiphase flow, and may have applications in other industrial electrolysis systems, including the chlor-alkali process. This STTR Phase I project proposes to demonstrate a scaled-up high efficiency alkaline hydrogen peroxide electrolyzer system. The most difficult challenge to overcome for scale-up relates to the electrode manufacturing process. The electrodes are made by coating a catalyst-containing ink onto a conductive substrate. The composition of the ink is non-standard, and has not been coated at commercial scale. The Phase I research will involve detailed investigations of ink formulation, coating, and processing conditions for roll-to-roll manufacturing of the oxygen reduction electrode. The roll-to-roll manufactured electrodes will be tested in pilot-scale hardware to demonstrate their durability and performance. Manufacturing-friendly multilayer coatings will be developed and investigated to overcome challenges associated with multiphase flow. After completing pilot-scale electrode manufacturing, the electrolyzer stack will be assembled and tested at an experimental bleaching facility to ensure that the electrolytically-generated alkaline peroxide can be used as a bleaching chemical. The development of the multiphase electrode in this Phase I project will enable improvements in other electrolytic processes using multiphase flows.