Rapid Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition Using a Microreactor

Abstract The rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is often desired in the cleanup of excess H 2 O 2 when it is used as an oxidant. Although the decomposition process has been studied in batch reactors, it has never been performed before in a fixed‐bed microreactor with residence time on the scale of seconds. With enhanced mass and heat transfer in microreactors, higher H 2 O 2 decomposition efficiency compared to batch reactors was obtained. A variety of parameters including length of microchannels, flow rate, solvent composition, and gas pressure were examined carefully and a first‐order kinetic model was established. Within a few seconds, more than 70 % of the H 2 O 2 was decomposed successfully. The challenge of catalyst passivation was discussed as well.