Electrochemical Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide for Vaporous Decontamination

Biochemical hazards and chemical warfare agents present an ever-growing threat to military personnel. Even accidental or brief exposure can have devastating consequences. Therefore, there is a crucial need to develop a method to decontaminate devices and equipment to minimize exposure risks and maintain operations after a chemical attack or release. Vaporous hydrogen peroxide (VHP) is an ideal decontamination method due to its low vapor temperature, lack of harmful residues, fast decontamination cycles, and ability to infiltrate. However, VHP requires concentrated (~35%) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in large quantities, which is hazardous, degrades quickly, and may react violently with organics, catalysts, or impurities. H2O2 is therefore confined to ground transportation and is problematic to store, calling for a mobile on-demand concentrated H2O2 production. CRG will develop a portable H2O2 generator that uses direct electrosynthesis of H2O2. CRG’s system will have limited to no consumables and only require water and air to produce H2O2 without any harmful by-products. CRG’s compact flow cell device will provide a modular system that can be stacked in parallel to increase production rates, in series to increase concentration, or a in combination thereof. Therefore, CRG’s electrochemical synthesis system could provide on-demand H2O2 for vaporous decontamination for the CBD and broader military. Additionally, numerous other commercial applications, apart from VHP, could benefit on-demand H2O2 generation, such as remote water treatment, primary consumer goods, and direct integration with consumer appliances.