The main goal of HYPER is the demonstration at TRL 6 of a scalable, modular electrochemical process for the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). H2O2 is a versatile chemical used in many industries as bleaching agent, chemical reactant or disinfectant. The integration of the HYPER process into three downstream value-chains, pulp and paper, textiles and chemicals, will be evaluated as a step toward further TRL development. The advances in the HYPER project will transform H2O2 production from a large-volume, energy-intensive process that relies on fossil feedstocks, a cocktail of organic solvents and critical raw material catalysts to a smaller-scale, robust process that requires only water and renewable energy as inputs. The innovation for this transformation is the use of persulphate as an intermediate in the electrochemical process. Persulphate is a stronger, yet more kinetically stable oxidant than H2O2, thus allowing the electrochemical production of persulphate from sulphate salts when renewable electricity is cheap and abundant. The unit for this part of the process is referred to as the electrolyser. H2O2 can then be generated on demand by the reaction of persulphate with water under acidic conditions, recovering sulphate than can undergo another electrochemical cycle. This unit is called the utiliser. Realisation of the HYPER technology is expected to decrease life cycle CO2 emissions for H2O2 production by up to 75% when 100% renewable electricity is used and eliminate at least 19 megatonnes of emissions by 2045. Energy consumption is expected to be reduced by one-third as compared to established production routes.
The project has four technical objectives for realisation of the main goal. Objective 1 is the development of the prototype TRL 4-5 cell, electrode and process. Development of cathodic reactions that will improve the overall Faradaic efficiency of the process are included. This will also ensure that the HYPER process provides added value from both half-reactions. Objective 2 is the development of the TRL 6 cell, electrode and process. The TRL 4-5 pilot will be upscaled and the entire system optimized so that it can operate with fluctuating renewable energy sources and changing current densities. Objective 3 addresses the integration of the HYPER technology into the three downstream value chains. Integration will be demonstrated either by use of H2O2 produced by the TRL 4-5 and TRL 6 pilots within two of the downstream industries, or by a detailed process integration study for the third. Objective 4 is the assessment of the sustainability of the developments. This activity includes economic, life cycle and safety analyses, to ensure that the HYPER process is profitable, actually reduces CO2 emissions and other pollution and is safe to implement.
