The electrocatalytic hydrogenation of glucose; 2: Raney nickel powder flow-through reactor model

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2059198· OSTI ID:6897692

Anantharaman, V; Pintauro, P N ^[1]

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1. Tulane Univ., New Orleans, LA (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

A computer model which simulates the operation of a flow-through Raney nickel powder electrocatalytic hydrogenation reactor for the synthesis of sorbitol from glucose with simultaneous H[sub 2] evolution has been developed. The model utilizes porous electrode theory, considers both mass-transfer and surface kinetics effects, and contains no adjustable parameters. Hydrogen evolution on Raney nickel is described by a Volmer-Heyrovsky rate expression. The rate equation for glucose hydrogenation is identical to that for the chemical catalytic synthesis of sorbitol with pressurized H[sub 2] gas. For constant-current reactor operation, computed sorbitol current efficiencies match well with experimental data for a range of current densities (0.0053 to 0.021 A/cm[sup 2]) and glucose feed concentrations (0.4 to 1.6M), with an average error of 8.8%. Calculations show that a large fraction of adsorbed hydrogen on the nickel cathode surface is produced by the oxidation of electrogenerated H[sub 2] via the backward Heyrovsky reaction. According to the model, significantly higher sorbitol current efficiencies can be achieved by pulsing the current to the reactor.

• OSTI ID: 6897692
• Journal Information: Journal of the Electrochemical Society; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society; (United States) Vol. 141:10; ISSN JESOAN; ISSN 0013-4651
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
080101* -- Hydrogen-- Production-- Electrolysis
09 BIOMASS FUELS
090900 -- Biomass Fuels-- Processing-- (1990-)
ALDEHYDES
CARBOHYDRATES
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DIURETICS
DRUGS
ELECTROLYSIS
ELEMENTS
GLUCOSE
HEXOSES
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
HYDROGENATION
KINETICS
LYSIS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METALS
MONOSACCHARIDES
NICKEL
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
REACTION KINETICS
SACCHARIDES
SIMULATION
SORBITOL
SYNTHESIS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS