METHOD OF PRODUCING METHANE AND OXYGEN Russian patent published in 2010 - IPC C25B3/00 C07C1/22 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: anode chamber of an electrolysis cell is filled with water, while the cathode chamber is filled with aqueous hydrogen iodide solution, after which methanol is fed into the cathode chamber and voltage is applied across the anode and cathode. Oxygen in gaseous phase is taken away from the anode chamber, while methane is taken from the cathode chamber. Chemical processes are carried out in liquid phase at pressure between 0.8 and 1.5 atm and temperature between 18 and 40°C. Molecular iodine formed during the chemical processes in form of a solution in an organic solvent, specifically in methyl iodide - an intermediate product of electrochemical reduction of methanol in aqueous hydrogen iodide solution, is fed into the area around the electrode in the cathode chamber, thereby returning to the beginning of the process.

EFFECT: method considerably improves cost-performance ratio of the process without reducing output of the end product by using additional reagents which form intermediate compounds which enable to carry out the process in liquid phase in a single apparatus.

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