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Direct electrochemical synthesis of oxygenates from ethane using phosphate-based electrolysis cells
Yusuke Honda1, Naoya Fujiwara1, Shohei Tada2
1Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan. rkikuchi@chemsys.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
Abstract:
Ethane was converted directly to acetaldehyde and ethanol by partial oxidation at 220 °C and ambient pressure using an electrolysis cell with a proton-conducting electrolyte, CsH2PO4/SiP2O7, and Pt/C electrodes. The ethane conversion and the selectivity to the products increased with the voltage applied to the cell. It was found that O species generated by water electrolysis functioned as a favorable oxidant for partial oxidation of ethane on the Pt/C anode at intermediate temperatures. The production rates of acetaldehyde and ethanol recorded in this study were significantly higher than those in preceding reports.
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