GB1056126A - Production of hydrogen peroxide - Google Patents

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide is prepared by contacting hydrogen and oxygen with a solid catalyst comprising at least one element from Group Ib and VIII of the Periodic Table, as the metal component, and a carrier, in the presence of liquid water in a reaction vessel in which the " dead " gas volume is less than 80% of the reaction volume. The contact time, between the liquid and gases which may be in the form of a foam, should be longer than four seconds. The reaction should be carried out in a vessel lined with titanium, bismuth, tin, pure silica, borosilicate glass or polypropylene and having a ratio of surface area to reaction volume greater than 120 cm2/100 cm3. The process is preferably carried out in the presence of an oxygen containing organic compound, e.g. alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, ether, ester amide or carboxylic acid, and an acid stronger than acetic acid. The organic compound should have a solubility in water at room temperature of at least 1% and the acid, preferably having inorganic acid radical, e.g. H2SO4, HCl, HNO3, orthophosphane, sulphonic should be present in a concentration greater than 10-5 N. A second acid radical of the type defined in Specification 1,041,045 may also be present. The reaction mixture which should be vigorously stirred in order to maintain the catalyst in suspension should preferably have a pH less than 7. The process is preferably carried out in its presence of hydrogen peroxide stabilizers as defined in co-pending Specification 1,056,612 especially salts of condensed phosphoric acids having polymerization numbers from 2-14, or a quantity of boric acid, or both. The preferred carrier component of the solid catalyst and operational conditions of temperature and pressure are as described in Specification 1,041,045.