3 Results and Discussion
Developing this protocol required testing different electrode materials and membrane thicknesses, along with different diameter PVC pipes. A test run was conducted with a graphite electrode as an anode. The graphite anode was able to produce the sulfuric acid; however, the production of O2 deteriorated the graphite and introduced particles into the solution. In some cases, the particles were sufficiently small that the filtration with the laboratory equipment was not sufficient to remove all contamination. The drawback to using the platinum electrodes was the lack of surface area for electrolysis. The platinum foils were 2mm by 2mm each, with 2 of them. Concentrations of up to 67% were achieved with the larger surface area of the graphite electrode.
Originally a 42mm outer diameter PVC pipe was used; however, concentrations struggled to exceed 20%. It is not clear why this was the case. Perhaps the larger diameter allowed for some decomposition to occur across the membrane, or the larger volume slowed the synthesis rate. In addition, it was observed that the conductivity of the solution increased with concentration and that concentration increased faster with conductivity.
Initial test runs applied 12 volts of electricity, and it was observed that the concentration levels would not achieve rates higher than 17%. However, it is essential to note that all concentrations were taken with one hour of electrolysis. Therefore, the prospects of higher concentrations with a more extended electrolysis period between testing and collection were not explored.
All materials and products were obtained either online or at a pharmacy. Although some equipment is more readily available in a lab, this project aimed to produce a protocol that could be performed with products and equipment available online or at retail stores. For example, beakers and flasks could be replaced with glass jars.
Author Information
Corresponding Author
Victor M. Rodriguez
Email: igexoresearch@gmail.com