High performance catalyst CoNP for efficient electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is almost exclusively manufactured by the energy-intensive anthraquinone process. An alternative process is the electrochemical production of H2O2 via the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This study explored the cobalt nanoparticle CoNP as a catalyst to promote H2O2 production. The catalyst with twice calcination temperatures of 600 and 500 degrees C exhibited Co-O-C and Co-Nx skeletons to exert excellent electrochemical performance in 0.1 M KOH, promising high reactivity with an onset potential of 0.8 V, high selectivity of 98 %, and FE% of 96 % for H2O2. Meanwhile, the production of H2O2 could act as an electro-Fenton system to activate center dot OH formation. The production of center dot OH enhanced the disinfection ability among similar to 10(7) CFU mL(-1) Escherichia coli solution within a 0.1 M PBS buffer pH 7 for only 30 min. The disinfection yield was near 99.9995 %. The results showed that the CoNP600A500 catalyst provides an energy-efficient, green, and safe solution for H2O2 production.