The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from H2 and O2 using Pd-Ni/TiO2 catalysts

The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from molecular H2 and O2 offers an attractive solution to decentralised production compared to the anthraquinone process. Herein we evaluate the performance of a 0.5%Pd-4.5%Ni/TiO2 catalyst in batch and flow reactor systems using water as a solvent at ambient temperature which makes synthesising high H2O2 concentrations challenging. Catalyst activity was observed to be stable to prolonged use in multiple batch experiments or in a flow system, with selectivities towards H2O2 of 97% and 85% respectively. This study was carried out in the absence of halide or acid additives that are typically used to inhibit sequential H2O2 degradation reactions showing that this Pd-Ni catalyst has potential to produce H2O2 selectivel