The production of chlorate with a bipolar pump cell

Abstract Chlorate has been produced in a system consisting of an electrochemical pump cell (space‐time ∼ 150 ms) and a holding volume. The overall current efficiency has been determined as a function of ratio of tank:cell volume, electrolyte concentration and applied voltage, and the interaction of the electrochemical and chemical reactions investigated. At low applied voltages the reduction of dispersed and dissolved oxygen provides an alternative counter reaction to the more normal evolution of hydrogen, although only at low current densities on graphite. Space‐time yields range from 0.52 to 8.76 mol h−1 dm−3 at energy yields of 2.65 to 7.59 kW h kg−1.