ELECTROCHEMICAL REDUCTION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING HYDRIDE OF AROMATIC HYDROCARBON COMPOUND OR NITROGEN-CONTAINING HETEROCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUND

• US 20150090602A1
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (ENEOS Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (ENEOS Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Yasushi, Miyoshi, Kota, Nakagawa, Kojiro, Kobori, Yoshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,752,239 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 205/335
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 15/02 Process control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 3/25 Reduction

Abstract

An electrochemical reduction device comprises an electrode unit including an electrolyte membrane, a reduction electrode, and an oxygen evolving electrode; a power control unit that applies a voltage Va between the reduction electrode and the oxygen evolving electrode; a hydrogen gas generation rate measurement unit that measures a hydrogen gas generation rate F1; and a control unit that controls the power control unit so as to gradually increase the Va within a range that satisfies a relationship of F1≦F0 and V_CA>V_HER−acceptable potential difference (APD), when the potential at a reversible hydrogen electrode is V_HER, the potential of the reduction electrode is V_CA, the acceptable upper limit of the hydrogen gas generation rate is F0, and the APD is a potential difference that defines an upper limit of a potential difference between V_CA and V_HER.

Claims

1. An electrochemical reduction device comprising:

an electrode unit including an electrolyte membrane having ionic conductivity, a reduction electrode that is provided on one side of the electrolyte membrane and that contains a reduction catalyst for hydrogenating a benzene ring of an aromatic hydrocarbon compound or a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic aromatic compound, and an oxygen evolving electrode that is provided on the other side of the electrolyte membrane;

a power control unit that applies a voltage Va between the reduction electrode and the oxygen evolving electrode so that the reduction electrode has a basic potential and the oxygen evolving electrode has a noble potential;

a hydrogen gas generation rate measurement unit that measures a generation rate F1 per unit time of a hydrogen gas generated by an electrolytic reaction of water which competes with a benzene ring hydrogenation reaction of the aromatic hydrocarbon compound or the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic aromatic compound; and

a control unit that controls the power control unit so as to gradually increase the voltage Va within a range that satisfies a relationship of F1≦

F0 and V_CA>

V_HER−

(acceptable potential difference), where the potential at a reversible hydrogen electrode, the potential of the reduction electrode and the acceptable upper limit of the hydrogen gas generation rate are expressed as V_HER, V_CA and F0, respectively, and the acceptable potential difference is defined as a potential difference that defines an upper limit of a potential difference between V_CA and V_HER.

2. The electrochemical reduction device according to claim 1, wherein the acceptable potential difference is 20 mV.

3. The electrochemical reduction device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reference electrode that is arranged to be in contact with the electrolyte membrane and to be electrically isolated from the reduction electrode and the oxygen evolving electrode and that is held at a reference electrode potential V_Ref; and

a voltage detection unit that detects a potential difference Δ

V_CA between the reference electrode and the reduction electrode, wherein the control unit acquires the potential V_CA of the reduction electrode based on the potential difference Δ

V_CA and the reference electrode potential V_Ref.

7. A method for manufacturing a hydride of an aromatic hydrocarbon compound or a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic aromatic compound, comprising introducing an aromatic hydrocarbon compound or a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic aromatic compound to the reduction electrode side of the electrode unit, circulating water or a humidified gas to the oxygen evolving electrode side, and hydrogenating a benzene ring of the aromatic hydrocarbon compound or the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic aromatic compound introduced to the reduction electrode side, by using the electrochemical reduction device according to claim 1.

8. The method for manufacturing a hydride of an aromatic hydrocarbon compound or a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic aromatic compound according to claim 7, wherein the aromatic hydrocarbon compound or the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic aromatic compound to be introduced to the reduction electrode side is introduced to the reduction electrode side in a liquid state at a reaction temperature.

4. An electrochemical reduction device comprising:

an electrode unit assembly in which a plurality of electrode units are electrically connected to one another in series, the electrode units each including an electrolyte membrane having ionic conductivity, a reduction electrode that is provided on one side of the electrolyte membrane and that contains a reduction catalyst for hydrogenating a benzene ring of an aromatic hydrocarbon compound or a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic aromatic compound, and an oxygen generating electrode that is provided on the other side of the electrolyte membrane;

a power control unit that applies a voltage V_A between a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal of the electrode unit assembly so that in each electrode unit, the reduction electrode has a basic potential and the oxygen generating electrode has a noble potential;

a hydrogen gas generation rate measurement unit that measures a generation rate F1′

per unit time of a hydrogen gas generated by an electrolytic reaction of water which competes with a benzene ring hydrogenation reaction of the aromatic hydrocarbon compound or the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic aromatic compound in the whole of the plurality of electrode units; and

a control unit that controls the power control unit so as to gradually increase the voltage V_A within a range that satisfies a relationship of F1′

≦

N×

F0 and V_CA>

V_HER−

(acceptable potential difference), where the potential at a reversible hydrogen electrode, the potential of the reduction electrode, the acceptable upper limit of the hydrogen gas generation rate per electrode unit and the number of electrode units are expressed as V_HER, V_CA, F0 and N, respectively, and the acceptable potential difference is defined as a potential difference that defines an upper limit of a potential difference between V_CA and V_HER.

5. The electrochemical reduction device according to claim 4, wherein the acceptable potential difference is 20 mV.

6. The electrochemical reduction device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a reference electrode that is arranged to be in contact with the electrolyte membrane of any one of the electrode units included in the electrode unit assembly and to be electrically isolated from the reduction electrode and the oxygen evolving electrode of the electrode unit; and

a voltage detection unit that detects a potential difference Δ

V_CA between the reference electrode and the reduction electrode of the electrode unit,

wherein the control unit acquires the potential V_CA of the reduction electrode of the electrode unit based on the potential difference Δ

V_CA and the reference electrode potential V_Ref.