9361728 Genders This is a Phase I award under the Small Business Innovation Research Solicitation. In a previous effort, a process based on the electrochemical hydrodimerization of formaldehyde at a graphite cathode was developed. A drop in oil prices, and a resultant drop in ethylene prices, the feedstock for the major present process for ethylene glycol, made the new process economically unattractive. This effort is an extension of the earlier work designed to reduce the capital and operating costs required. Modifications include operating in an undivided, narrow-gap cell with noncatalytic electrodes thus eliminating the need for costly membranes and catalysts; using solvent extraction for product isolation and employing gas-diffusion electrodes. Ethylene glycol is an important commodity chemical. It is a precurser to polyester, is the principal antifreeze compound in use, and has other applications in chemical processing.
