NaOH production from ceramic electrolytic cell
AssigneeCeramatec, Inc.
InventorsAshok V. Joshi, Meilin Liu, Alf Bjorseth, Lars Renberg
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Abstract
A electrolytic cell for efficiently producing caustic from sodium salts via use of a thin membrane of ceramic or ceramic composite electrolyte is disclosed. Ceramic electrolytes having a very mobile sodium ion such as NASICON are very effective in cells producing concentrated caustic from sodium salts of strong acids.
Claims34
An electrolyte cell for producing sodium hydroxide from a sodium salt derived from a strong acid comprising:
- an anode chamber;
- a cathode chamber;
- an acid resistant, electronically conductive anode positioned in said anode chamber;
- a caustic resistant, electronically conductive cathode positioned in said cathode chamber;
- and
- a solid, impervious sodium ion conducting, electronically insulating, homogeneous inorganic, membrane separating the anode chamber from the cathode chamber, said membrane being resistant to acid and caustic.
An electrolytic cell for producing sodium hydroxide from an aqueous sodium salt solution derived from a strong acid comprising:
- an anode chamber;
- a cathode chamber;
- an acid resistant, electronically conductive anode positioned in said anode chamber;
- a caustic resistant, electronically conductive cathode positioned in said cathode chamber;
- and
- a solid, impervious sodium ion conducting, electronically insulating membrane separating the anode chamber from the cathode chamber, said membrane resistant to acid and caustic and comprising a homogeneous inorganic membrane formed from a sodium super ion conductor material having the formula Na.sub.1+x Zr.sub.2 P.sub.3-x O.sub.12 which is contacted with a chemically stable polymer selected from the class of polymers having the formula:
- ##STR3## where "n" denotes at least one CF.sub.2 CF.sub.2 sequence and "m" indicates at least one polymer chain.
An electrolytic process for producing concentrated sodium hydroxide solution from an aqueous sodium salt solution having anions derived from a strong acid comprising:
- introducing electrons into an aqueous catholyte solution containing sodium hydroxide;
- removing electrons from an aqueous anolyte solution containing sodium cations and anions from an acid;
- conducting sodium ions through a solid integral, monolithic separator isolating said anolyte solution from said catholyte solution, said monolithic separator containing mobile sodium ions contained in the lattice of said separator to produce a concentrated solution of sodium hydroxide in said catholyte solution;
- producing oxygen gas in said anolyte;
- producing hydrogen gas in said catholyte;
- producing an acid from the anions in said anolyte.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.