Advanced Catalysts

Catalysts are used around the world daily to facilitate and improve the efficiency of reactions that create many of the products and chemicals we used daily. GPEC has, through its work in photoelectrochemical reactions, discovered several unique products.

Direct Formation Hydrogen Peroxide



The Opportunity

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is the simplest per-oxygen compound. It can be considered as water molecule containing an extra atom of oxygen. Hence, it is a preferred compound in many applications since it yields no other byproducts other than water. It is an extremely environment friendly chemical.

Hydrogen peroxide is primarily used in the pulp and paper industry as a bleaching agent and a more environmentally friendly replacement for chlorine. There is global legislative and consumer pressure to move from chorine as an oxidant to hydrogen peroxide. The resulting industry growth has created high levels of plant utilization and basic demand.

The current industry standard process for making hydrogen peroxide is called the autoxidation or "AO" process and has been the standard process for 70 years. In the AO process, hydrogen peroxide is made by reforming hydrogen gas and oxygen gas in a multi-chamber, iterative process. The specifics of this process tend to be customized by plant. New Hydrogen Peroxide plants can cost in excess of $100 million.

For years, industry engineers and scientists have sought to create a "direct formation" process that could reduce capital demands, cost and simplify the process. To solve this challenge, both a catalyst and a process are required and while processes have been identified - a suitable catalyst was not available.


GPEC Breakthrough

GPEC's proprietary Advanced Catalyst structure
Figure 1: GPEC's proprietary Advanced Catalyst structure

GPEC's experience in hydrogen-based and organic chemistry has led to a unique heterogeneous catalyst technology that can reduce the cost of manufacturing hydrogen peroxide.

GPEC's catalyst's proprietary geometry and nano-structure promotes the formation of hydrogen peroxide while retarding the undesired decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water - a problem that exists for most direct formation catalysts.

GPEC's heterogeneous catalyst utilizes, in conjunction with a direct-formation process, allows the process to be completed in a single chamber with no iteration.

The benefits of this innovation are:

  • Dramatically Reduced Capital Requirements And Consequently Cost for expanded capacity.
  • Ability to add capacity is smaller increments - distributed micro plants.
  • Fewer Process Steps.
  • Simpler overall process.
  • New Market Potential From In-Situ Production.
  • Distributed Production enabling.
SEM picture showing homogeneous distribution of Pd aggregates of <1 nm throughout catalyst.
Figure 2: SEM picture showing homogeneous distribution of Pd aggregates of <1 nm throughout catalyst.


Contact

GPEC is selecting partners to accelerate the development of this technology. Companies interested in learning more should contact the Company. Contact GPEC

back to topback to top