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Hydroxylamine production by electroreduction of nitric oxide in a trickle bed cell
Author(s) -
Bathia M. L.,
Watkinson A. P.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450570513
Subject(s) - hydroxylamine , chemistry , cathode , volumetric flow rate , atmospheric pressure , inorganic chemistry , oxide , electrochemistry , mass transfer , analytical chemistry (journal) , electrode , chromatography , organic chemistry , physics , oceanography , quantum mechanics , geology
Hydroxylamine was produced in a trickle bed cell by passing nitric oxide gas and sulphuric acid catholyte co‐currently downward through a cathode bed of tungsten carbide particles. The dependence of hydroxylamine concentration and current efficiency on cathode activity and particle size, flow rate and composition of gas and catholyte, bed height, and reactor temperature and pressure are reported. Hydroxylamine concentrations of up to 0.18 mol/L were produced at 62% current efficiency in a single pass through a 0.375 m high cell operated at atmospheric pressure and a current density of 213 A/m 2 . The hydroxylamine concentration increased with cell pressure, gas flow rate and decreases in catholyte flow and could be raised to 0.4 mol/L by recycling the catholyte. The process appears to be controlled by mass transfer at current densities over 400 A/m 2 and by electrochemical reaction below about 300 A/m 2 .