Electrochemical hydroxide systems and methods using metal oxidation

Abstract

There are provided methods and systems for an electrochemical cell including an anode and a cathode where the anode is contacted with a metal ion that converts the metal ion from a lower oxidation state to a higher oxidation state. The metal ion in the higher oxidation state is reacted with hydrogen gas, an unsaturated hydrocarbon, and/or a saturated hydrocarbon to form products.

1 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A method, comprising:
 contacting an anode with an anode electrolyte in an electrochemical cell wherein the anode electrolyte comprises metal ions;   contacting a cathode with a cathode electrolyte in the electrochemical cell;   administering hydrochloric acid in the cathode electrolyte or the anode electrolyte;   applying a voltage and oxidizing the metal ions from a lower oxidation state to a higher oxidation state at the anode; and   reacting an unsaturated hydrocarbon or a saturated hydrocarbon with the anode electrolyte comprising the metal ions in the higher oxidation state.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein theoretical cell voltage applied is between 0-1.5V. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein when the hydrochloric acid is administered in the cathode electrolyte, reducing the hydrochloric acid at the cathode to hydrogen gas. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the cathode is an oxygen depolarizing cathode (ODC). 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein when the hydrochloric acid is administered in the cathode electrolyte, reducing the hydrochloric acid and oxygen gas at the ODC to form water. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising migrating chloride ions from the cathode electrolyte to the anode electrolyte through an ion exchange membrane. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein when the hydrochloric acid is administered in the anode electrolyte, producing metal chloride and hydrogen ions at the anode. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising migrating the hydrogen ions to the cathode electrolyte through an ion exchange membrane to form hydrogen gas at the cathode or to form water at oxygen depolarizing cathode. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising obtaining the hydrochloric acid from another electrochemical cell which is producing the hydrochloric acid at its anode or its cathode. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the anode electrolyte comprises more than 5 wt % water. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein metal ion is a metal halide or a metal sulfate and further comprising reacting the unsaturated hydrocarbon or the saturated hydrocarbon with the anode electrolyte comprising the metal halide or the metal sulfate in the higher oxidation state in an aqueous medium to form halohydrocarbon or a sulfohydrocarbon and the metal ions in the lower oxidation state. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein yield of the halohydrocarbon or the sulfohydrocarbon is more than 80% by weight. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon is ethylene which reacts with the anode electrolyte comprising the metal ions in the higher oxidation state to form ethylene dichloride. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising using the ethylene dichloride to form vinyl chloride monomer and hydrochloric acid. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising recirculating the hydrochloric acid back into the anode electrolyte or the cathode electrolyte. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the metal ion is selected from the group consisting of iron, chromium, copper, tin, silver, cobalt, uranium, lead, mercury, vanadium, bismuth, titanium, ruthenium, osmium, europium, zinc, cadmium, gold, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhodium, iridium, manganese, technetium, rhenium, molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, and combination thereof. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the metal ion is selected from the group consisting of copper that is converted from Cu +  to Cu 2+ , iron that is converted from Fe 2+  to Fe 3+ , tin that is converted from Sn 2+  to Sn 4+ , chromium that is converted from Cr 2+  to Cr 3+ , and platinum that is converted from Pt 2+  to Pt +′ . 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon is a C2-C10 alkene or the saturated hydrocarbon is C2-C10 alkane. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the saturated hydrocarbon is methane, ethane, or propane. 
     
     
         48 . A system, comprising:
 a power source;   an anode chamber comprising an anode in contact with an anode electrolyte comprising metal ions in an aqueous medium wherein the anode is configured to oxidize the metal ions from a lower oxidation state to a higher oxidation state;   a cathode chamber comprising a cathode in contact with a cathode electrolyte; and   an input operably connected to the anode chamber or the cathode chamber configured to administer hydrochloric acid in the cathode electrolyte or the anode electrolyte.