BENGALURU: Realising the rising pollution levels and the cost factors involved in the production of hydrogen peroxide, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science have come out with an alternative to it.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is widely used as a bleach, disinfectant, and oxidising agent. Its industrial production is expensive and a lot of energy is consumed in making it, as rare and precious metal catalysts are used in its production.
The IISc scientists utilised a zinc-air battery in which oxygen reduction generated H2O2. Aninda J Bhattacharyya, Professor in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research (ICER) and Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, said zinc is found in abundance and is being used historically. It is also inexpensive and found in abundance in India.
Aninda is also the co- author of the study-- Employing a Zn-air/ Photo- Electrochemical Cell for In Situ Generation of H2O2 for Onsite Control of Pollutants.
A metal-air battery has a metal like zinc as the anode (negative electrode) and ambient air as the cathode (positive electrode). When the battery discharges, it releases energy – oxygen, from ambient air gets reduced at the cathode, producing H2O2.
“The strategy was to control the extent of oxygen reduction reaction, otherwise it will release and form water,” she said. The control can be achieved using specific catalysts. Here, the team used metal- free catalyst based on carbon, said Asutosh Behera, co- author of the study and PhD student at SSCU.