Disclosed is a process for preparing adiponitrile from acrylonitrile in an electrolytic cell. An aqueous electrolyte comprising acrylonitrile converts to adiponitrile in the presence of a solid anode and in the absence of a solid cathode. The cathode comprises gas plasma.

The present invention relates to a photo-electrochemical device for production of a gas, liquid or solid using concentrated electromagnetic irradiation. The device comprises a photovoltaic component configured to generate charge carriers from the concentrated electromagnetic irradiation; and an electrochemical component configured to carry out electrolysis of a reactant. The photovoltaic component contacts the electrochemical component at a solid interface to form an integrated photo-electrochemical device; and further includes at least one reactant channel or a plurality of reactant channels extending between the photovoltaic component and the electrochemical component to transfer heat and the reactant from the photovoltaic component to the electrochemical component. The integrated photo-electrochemical device and auxiliary devices (such as concentrator, flow controllers) build a system which can flexibly react to changes in operating condition and guarantee best performance.

Disclosed herein is a method of recovering lithium or sodium from an active material of a lithium or sodium ion battery. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises a redox-targeting reaction of a used active material LiFeP04 with a redox mediator [Fe(CN).sub.6].sup.3? in a tank to produce lithium ions, circulating the reacted redox solution into a cell to regenerate said redox mediator and enabling said lithium ions to migrate through a membrane towards a cathode wherein said lithium ions are captured as LiOH through an electrochemical reaction.

The present invention relates, in a first aspect, to an electrolysis cell having three chambers, wherein the middle chamber is separated from the cathode chamber by a solid-state electrolyte permeable to cations, for example NaSICON, and from the anode chamber by a diffusion barrier, for example a membrane selective for cations or anions. The invention is characterized in that the middle chamber comprises a mechanical stirring device.

The electrolysis cell according to the invention solves the problem that a concentration gradient forms in the middle chamber of the electrolysis cell during the electrolysis, which leads to locally lowered pH values and hence to damage to the solid-state electrolyte. With the aid of the mechanical stirring device, it is possible to stir the electrolyte solution in the middle chamber during the electrolysis. This leads to mixing of the electrolyte solution in the middle chamber, which prevents the formation of a pH gradient.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a process for producing an alkali metal alkoxide solution in the electrolysis cell according to the invention.

The present invention relates, in a first aspect, to an electrolysis cell having three chambers, wherein the middle chamber is separated from the cathode chamber by a solid-state electrolyte permeable to cations, for example NaSICON, and from the anode chamber by a diffusion barrier, for example a membrane selective for cations or anions. The invention is characterized in that the middle chamber comprises a mechanical stirring device.

The electrolysis cell according to the invention solves the problem that a concentration gradient forms in the middle chamber of the electrolysis cell during the electrolysis, which leads to locally lowered pH values and hence to damage to the solid-state electrolyte. With the aid of the mechanical stirring device, it is possible to stir the electrolyte solution in the middle chamber during the electrolysis. This leads to mixing of the electrolyte solution in the middle chamber, which prevents the formation of a pH gradient.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a process for producing an alkali metal alkoxide solution in the electrolysis cell according to the invention.

A photoelectrochemical system may be utilized for processing of hydrogen sulfide to hydrogen. For example, a method for hydrogen production from hydrogen sulfide may include: providing a photocathode electrically connected by a wire to a photocatalyst, where both the photocathode and the photocatalyst are at least partially immersed in an electrolyte solution that includes an aqueous fluid having hydrogen sulfide at least partially dissolved therein; illuminating the photocathode with first light thereby causing the photocathode to generate a first plurality of electron-electron hole pairs, wherein the photocathode includes a silicon-based heterojunction; illuminating a photocatalyst with second light thereby causing the photocathode to generate a second plurality of electron-electron hole pairs, wherein the photocatalyst includes a semiconductor; and photochemically converting the hydrogen sulfide to hydrogen gas and sulfur.

A photoelectrochemical system may be utilized for processing of hydrogen sulfide to hydrogen. For example, a method for hydrogen production from hydrogen sulfide may include: providing a photocathode electrically connected by a wire to a photocatalyst, where both the photocathode and the photocatalyst are at least partially immersed in an electrolyte solution that includes an aqueous fluid having hydrogen sulfide at least partially dissolved therein; illuminating the photocathode with first light thereby causing the photocathode to generate a first plurality of electron-electron hole pairs, wherein the photocathode includes a silicon-based heterojunction; illuminating a photocatalyst with second light thereby causing the photocathode to generate a second plurality of electron-electron hole pairs, wherein the photocatalyst includes a semiconductor; and photochemically converting the hydrogen sulfide to hydrogen gas and sulfur.

The present invention provides a pump device comprising a housing and a electrode device. The housing has an inlet and an outlet arranged at a side of the housing for allowing a first flow flowing into the housing. The electrode device is arranged in the housing, and comprises a rotating body having a fluid inlet, a plurality of first flow channels, at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode. The rotating body is driven to rotate thereby generating a negative pressure for drawing the first fluid into the plurality of first flow channels through the fluid inlet such that the first fluid is reacted with the first and second electrodes thereby generating micro bubbles and is exhausted from the plurality of first flow channels. The first flow having micro bubbles are exhausted from the housing through the outlet.

The present invention provides a pump device comprising a housing and a electrode device. The housing has an inlet and an outlet arranged at a side of the housing for allowing a first flow flowing into the housing. The electrode device is arranged in the housing, and comprises a rotating body having a fluid inlet, a plurality of first flow channels, at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode. The rotating body is driven to rotate thereby generating a negative pressure for drawing the first fluid into the plurality of first flow channels through the fluid inlet such that the first fluid is reacted with the first and second electrodes thereby generating micro bubbles and is exhausted from the plurality of first flow channels. The first flow having micro bubbles are exhausted from the housing through the outlet.

The invention relates to a method for producing an alkali metal alcoholate solution L.sub.1 in an electrolysis cell E which comprises at least one cathode chamber K.sub.K, at least one anode chamber K.sub.A, and at least one central chamber K.sub.M lying therebetween. The interior I.sub.KK of the cathode chamber K.sub.K is separated from the interior I.sub.KM of the central chamber K.sub.M by a separating wall W comprising at least one alkali-cation-conductive solid ceramic electrolyte (=AFK) F (e.g. NaSICON). F has the surface O.sub.F. A part O.sub.A/MK of the surface O.sub.F directly contacts the interior I.sub.KM, and a part O.sub.KK of the surface O.sub.F directly contacts the interior I.sub.KK. The surface O.sub.A/MK and/or the surface O.sub.KK comprises at least one part of a surface O.sub.F?. O.sub.F? is produced from a pre-treatment step in which F is produced from an AFK F comprising the surface O.sub.F. For this purpose, AFK is removed from F by carrying out a compressed air blasting process on the surface O.sub.F using a solid blasting agent N, and the AFK F with the surface O.sub.F comprising the surface O.sub.F? formed by the compressed air blasting process is obtained. During the electrolysis process for producing the alkali metal alcoholates with F instead of F, an improved conductivity is provided, whereby for a constant current density, a lower voltage can be used.