Direct thermal catalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide by using microchip reactor

Abstract

Direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from hydrogen and oxygen (DSHP) represents a promising alternative route to the current widely used anthraquinone process, as the latter has been much criticized for not-environmentally friendly issue. However, most DHSP reaction systems encounter with the challenge of explosion risk and low-selective for production of H2O2. Herein, we report a new continuous DSHP process by constructing a feasible microreactor upon microfluidic chip under ambient condition. By examining the effects of temperature, liquid flow rate, gas flow rate, H2/O2 ratio and solvent species on the production rate of H2O2, we demonstrated that the methanol is the most favorable solvent for promoting the DSHP process, and further identified the optimal reaction condition under which continuous production of H2O2 with the concentration of 0.388 wt% is achieved. Additionally, the DFT calculations were performed, which unraveled the solvent effect and showed that the methanol molecule can efficiently stabilize the O2 molecule and co-catalyze the DSHP reaction. Finally, the economic analysis of the proposed process is carried and compared with the commercial ones. This work provides a promising on-site route to produce H2O2 in a green, safe yet ready-to-use process.