Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1282224 | International Journal of Hydrogen Energy | 2012 | 10 Pages |
The dependence of electrooxidation on experimental conditions of organic molecules was investigated to optimize the production of hydrogen from potential wastewater sources using low voltage sources (∼1 V dc). Electrooxidation on platinum, gold, and stainless steel anodes with hydrogen production on the cathode was investigated using several different organic reductants, including: methanol, ethanol, glycerol, isopropanol, propanal, glycerol, glucose, sucrose, citric acid, and propionic acid. The electrolyte pH was varied from 2 to 12 in a 1 M Na2SO4 supporting solution. At 1 V, glycerol, citric acid, ethanol and methanol were found to yield the highest currents at low pH values (pH 2 and 7) on platinum electrode, glucose on gold electrode at pH 12 in 1 M Na2SO4 solution produced the highest total current density at 1 V with measured Faradaic efficiency for 1 M glucose of 70%. The hydrogen energy production efficiency was 86%. Practical limitations of glucose oxidation at optimum experimental conditions are discussed.
► We determined optimal conditions for organic wastewater electrooxidation at 1 V. ► 3 mA/cm2 current density for glucose on Au electrode at 0.5 M and pH 13 obtained. ► Faradaic efficiency of H2 production was ∼70% for glucose on the Au electrode. ► These experiments are an alternative to the conventional water photoelectrolysis.