Patent ID: 11891710
Assignee: MANGROVE WATER TECHNOLOGIES LTD.
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B  C  Y | IPC B  C

Claim 10:
11. A process for producing a base product, the process comprising the steps of:
receiving, in a membrane electrolysis cell, a salt-containing solution comprising positive salt ions and negative salt ions, and a gas comprising 02; and
delivering the base product from the membrane electrolysis cell, wherein the membrane electrolysis cell comprises:
an anode positioned to extend within the interior of the membrane electrolysis cell and positioned in an anode compartment;
a cathode comprising a gas diffusion electrode positioned to extend within the interior of the membrane electrolysis cell and positioned in a cathode compartment, the gas diffusion electrode comprising a first diffusion layer configured to diffuse gas and a first catalyst layer disposed on a surface of the diffusion layer, the first catalyst layer having a hydrophilicity greater than that of the first diffusion layer and the first catalyst layer being configured to transport negative ions;
a base build up compartment, a salt depletion compartment and an acid build up compartment interposed between the cathode compartment and the anode compartment, the base build up compartment is interposed between the cathode compartment and the salt depletion compartment, the salt depletion compartment is interposed between the base build up compartment and the acid build up compartment, and the acid build up compartment is interposed between the salt depletion compartment and the anode compartment;
a first anion exchange membrane, the first anion exchange membrane being disposed on the first catalyst layer of the gas diffusion electrode and being configured to exchange ions received from the first catalyst layer of the gas diffusion electrode to an opposed surface of the first anion ion exchange membrane into the base build up compartment;
a first cation exchange membrane interposed between the salt depletion compartment and the base build up compartment, the first cation exchange membrane being configured to exchange ions received from the salt depletion compartment to an opposed surface of the first cation exchange membrane into the base build up compartment;
a second anion exchange membrane interposed between the salt depletion compartment and the acid build up compartment, the second anion exchange membrane being configured to exchange ions received from the salt depletion compartment to an opposed surface of the second anion exchange membrane into the acid build up compartment;
a second cation exchange membrane interposed between the acid build up compartment and the anode compartment, the second cation exchange membrane being configured to exchange ions received from the anode compartment to an opposed surface of the second cation exchange membrane into the acid build up compartment;
an inlet through which the salt-containing solution is received into the salt depletion compartment;
a gas inlet positioned in the cathode compartment through which the gas comprising 02 is introduced into contact with the gas diffusion electrode; and
an outlet through which the base product is removed from the base buildup compartment;
wherein in performing the process:
the salt-containing solution is received into the salt depletion compartment;
the positive salt ions migrate through the first cation exchange membrane to the opposed surface of the first cation exchange membrane into the base build up compartment;
the gas comprising O2 is reduced at the cathode to form OH−;
the OH− ions migrate through the first anion exchange membrane to the opposed surface of the first anion exchange membrane into the base build up compartment;
the OH− ions combine with the positive salt ions in the base build up compartment to produce the base product; and
the base product is removed from the base build up compartment.