Electrosynthesis of glyoxylic acid in a static bed reactor with cooled cathode

Glyoxylic acid was produced by electroreduction of oxalic acid in the static bed reactor with cooled cathode. The cathodic and anodic electrolytes were super-saturated oxalic acid and hydrochloric acid aqueous solutions. The current efficiency and time-space yield of glyoxylic acid were studied under different current densities, temperatures of cathode and electrolyte,materials of cathode. The results indicated that the cooled cathode static bed reactor is an excellent reactor. The average space-time yield of glyoxylic acid is over 0.12 kg/dm~3·h and the concentration of glyoxylic acid can reach 5.45% after 1.5 h electrolysis with cathode of lead and anode of graphite board under conditions of temperature 20℃,superficial flow rate of 0.505 m/s and current density of 400.5 A/m~2 in the cooled cathode static bed reactor.