3D Printed Microreactors for the Continuous Non-Kolbe Electrolysis

Abstract

In the renaissance of organic electrochemistry, 150-year-old Kolbe chemistry offers a sustainable pathway to liquid energy carriers and commodities. Herein, easy-access design methods for electrochemical microreactors employing 3D printing and simple post processing techniques are presented. The continuous Non-Kolbe electrolysis of monomethyl succinic acid is studied as a test reaction for the production of an industrially relevant, green monomer. In a semi-batch setup, methyl acrylate is produced with a maximum yield of 34 %, similar to results from a thoroughly optimized batch reaction in a prior study. In single-pass experiments, a comparable faradaic efficiency of 54 % is achieved.