Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
knowledge of fuel cell research should stimulate
the progress of SPE electrosynthesis.
6.1.2 SPE Electrolysis with
Cogeneration (Chemicals Production
Using Fuel Cell Reactions)
The SPE electrolysis system has been applied to
commercialized water electrolysis (water
splitting) and fuel cells. A fuel cell is a device to
convert Gibbs free energy in a chemical reaction
into electricity through electrochemical
reactions. In an H
2
-O
2
fuel cell, electricity is
obtained through the formation of water from
oxygen and hydrogen. This principle suggests
that catalytic oxidation and reduction in
chemical synthesis can be converted to fuel cell
reactions at an anode and cathode. For
instance, the Wacker oxidation of ethylene is
catalyzed by redox species like Pd
2+
/Pd
0
and
Cu
2+
/Cu
+
, as shown in
Figure 6.2
. Based on the
flows of protons and electrons in the reaction
scheme, it can be expected that the Wacker
oxidation of ethylene to acetaldehyde with
oxygen would be possible using fuel cell
reactions, as shown in
Figure 6.3
.
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