The electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at low concentrations is commonly used as an antiseptic for medicinal purposes and more recently for water treatment. As a weak acid with strong oxidising properties, it is also a powerful bleaching agent, mostly used for bleaching paper but also in tooth whitening and as a hair bleach. While diluted H2O2 is harmless, concentrated hydrogen peroxide is not; it is highly flammable and caustic to the skin and eyes. However, it is much more expensive to ship diluted H2O2 given the greatly increased volume. Now, the EU-funded Cu4Peroxide project is developing a business plan to take its innovative on-site method for low-concentration H2O2 synthesis to market. It will enable H2O2 production on-site where it is consumed for significantly less time, money and risk.