Direct thermal catalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide by using microchip reactor

Direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) from hydrogen and oxygen (DSHP) represents a promising alternative route to the current widely used anthraquinone process, as the latter has been much criticized for not-environmentally friendly issue. However, most DHSP reaction systems encounter with the challenge of explosion risk and low-selective for production of H 2 O 2 . Herein, we report a new continuous DSHP process by constructing a feasible microreactor upon microfluidic chip under ambient condition. By examining the effects of temperature, liquid flow rate, gas flow rate, H 2 /O 2 ratio and solvent species on the production rate of H 2 O 2 , we demonstrated that the methanol is the most favorable solvent for promoting the DSHP process, and further identified the optimal reaction condition under which continuous production of H 2 O 2 with the concentration of 0.388 wt% is achieved. Additionally, the DFT calculations were performed, which unraveled the solvent effect and showed that the methanol molecule can efficiently stabilize the O 2 molecule and co-catalyze the DSHP reaction. Finally, the economic analysis of the proposed process is carried and compared with the commercial ones. This work provides a promising on-site route to produce H 2 O 2 in a green, safe yet ready-to-use process.