To provide an electrolysis cell for producing an organic chemical hydride capable of advancing a reduction reaction in a cathode of an organic compound having an unsaturated bond with high current efficiency and a small electric power consumption unit.

An electrolysis cell 10 for producing an organic chemical hydride includes a solid polymer electrolyte film 11 which has proton conductivity; a cathode 12 which is provided on one surface of the solid polymer electrolyte film 11 and generates a hydride by reducing a substance to be hydrogenated; a cathode chamber 13 which accommodates the cathode 12 and to which the substance to be hydrogenated is supplied; an electrode catalyst-containing anode 14 which is provided on another surface of the solid polymer electrolyte film 11 and generates a proton by oxidizing water; and an anode chamber 15 which accommodates the anode 14 and to which an electrolytic solution is supplied, in which at least one of a surface of the cathode 12 side and a surface of the anode 14 side of the solid polymer electrolyte film 11 is hydrophilized.

A high pressure water electrolysis device includes an electrolyte membrane, an anode power supplying body, a cathode power supplying body, an anode separator, a cathode separator, a cathode chamber, a seal member, and a protective sheet member. The protective sheet member is interposed between the electrolyte membrane and the anode power supplying body and includes a frame part and a through hole formation part. The frame part faces the seal member as a seal receiving part in a stacking direction. The through hole formation part is provided inwardly of the frame part. In the through hole formation part, a plurality of through holes are provided. The through hole formation part has the plurality of through holes from an inner side to outer side of a range that faces an anode catalyst part in the stacking direction.

An electrochemical reaction device includes: an electrolytic solution tank including a first storage part to store a first electrolytic solution, and a second storage part to store a second electrolytic solution; a reduction electrode disposed in the first storage part and having a first surface; an oxidation electrode disposed in the second storage part and having a second surface; and a generator connected to the reduction and oxidation electrodes. A region in the first storage part between the first surface and an inner wall of the first storage part is an electrolytic solution flow path. The electrolytic solution flow path has a maximum part and a minimum part.

An electrochemical reaction device includes: a first electrolytic solution tank including first and second storage parts storing first and second electrolytic solutions containing carbon dioxide and water respectively; reduction and oxidation electrodes immersed in the first and second electrolytic solutions respectively; a generator connected to the reduction and oxidation electrodes; a second electrolytic solution tank including a third storage part storing a third electrolytic solution containing carbon dioxide; and a flow path connecting the first and third storage parts. The third electrolytic solution is lower in temperature than the first electrolytic solution.

Water electrolyzers employs base metal catalysts and an anion-conducting polymeric membrane comprising a polymer of styrene, vinylbenzyl-R.sub.s and possibly vinylbenzyl-R.sub.x. R.sub.s is a positively charged cyclic amine group. R.sub.x is at least one constituent selected from the group consisting of —Cl, —OH, and a reaction product between an —OH or —Cl and a species other than a simple amine or a cyclic amine.

A method is disclosed for nitrogen recovery from an ammonium including fluid and a bio-electrochemical system for the same. In an embodiment, the method includes providing an anode compartment including an anode; providing a cathode compartment including a cathode, wherein the compartments are separated by at least one ion exchange membrane; providing the ammonium comprising fluid in the anode compartment and a second fluid in the cathode compartment; applying a voltage between the anode and the cathode; and extracting nitrogen from the cathode compartment.

A method for controlling the activity of an electrochemical device (11) comprising a bioanode (3) and a biocathode (6) immersed in an electrolyte (10A, 10C) containing microorganisms, the anode compartment (8) and cathode compartment (9) being separated by at least one membrane (14), optionally a reference electrode, a difference in potential being applied between the bioanode (3) and the biocathode (6), or between the bioanode and the reference electrode, characterised in that the operation of the device is governed by a dual control: —a priority control of the difference in potential between the bioanode and the biocathode, or between the bioanode and the reference electrode, between a minimum limit value allowing the development of an electroactive biofilm at the bioanode and a maximum limit value lower than the oxidation potential of said biofilm, and—a secondary control, when the first control is in place, optimising the Faradaic efficiency of the biocathode. A device allowing said method to be carried out.

To provide an ion exchange membrane for alkali chloride electrolysis for which membrane strength is increased while membrane resistance is reduced to reduce electrolysis voltage during alkali chloride electrolysis and which prevents peeling between layers (S) and a layer (C). The ion exchange membrane for alkali chloride electrolysis comprises a layer (C) which comprises a fluorinated polymer having carboxylic acid functional groups, at least two layers (S) which comprise a fluorinated polymer having sulfonic acid functional groups, and a reinforcing material, wherein the layers (S) include a layer (Sa) and a layer (Sb), the layer (Sa) is a layer which is adjacent to the layer (C), the layer (Sb) is a layer which is not adjacent to the layer (C), the reinforcing material is disposed in the layer (Sb) substantially in parallel to the layer (Sb) in a state not in contact with the layer (Sa), and the ion exchange capacity of the layer (Sa) is lower than the ion exchange capacity of the layer (Sb).

To provide an ion exchange membrane for alkali chloride electrolysis which has high membrane strength and low membrane resistance, thereby capable of reducing the electrolysis voltage during alkali chloride electrolysis. In this ion exchange membrane (1) for alkali chloride electrolysis, a reinforcing material 20 formed by weaving reinforcing yarns 22 and sacrificial yarns 24 is disposed in a layer (S) 14, and layer (S) 14 has elution portions 28 formed by elution of at least portions of the sacrificial yarns 24. In a cross section perpendicular to reinforcing yarns of the warp, the average distance (d1) from the center of a reinforcing yarn 22 to the center of the adjacent reinforcing yarn 22, the total area (P) obtained by adding the cross-sectional area of an elution portion 28 and the cross-sectional area of a sacrificial yarn 24 remaining in the elution portion 28, the number (n) of elution portions between adjacent reinforcing yarns 22, and the ion exchange capacity of a layer (Sa) located on the most anode side in the layer (S) 14 during alkali chloride electrolysis, are controlled to be within specific ranges, respectively.

An electrochemical cell for the continuous acidification of alkaline water sources and recovery of carbon dioxide with simultaneous continuous hydrogen gas production having a center compartment, an electrolyte-free anode compartment having a mesh anode in direct contact with an ion permeable membrane, an endblock in direct contact with the anode where the endblock provides a gas escape route behind the anode, an electrolyte-free cathode compartment having a mesh cathode in direct contact with an ion permeable membrane, and an endblock in direct contact with the cathode where the endblock provides a gas escape route behind the cathode. Current applied to the electrochemical cell for generating hydrogen gas also lowers the pH of the alkaline water to produce carbon dioxide with no additional current or power. Also disclosed is the related method for continuously acidifying alkaline water sources and recovering carbon dioxide with continuous hydrogen gas production.