PRODUCTION OF QUATERNARY AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE BY ELECTROLYSIS

PURPOSE:To take out an aq. high-purity quaternary ammonium hydroxide soln. from a cathode by feeding an aq. specified quaternary ammonium chloride soln. to an anodic chamber comparted by a fluorocarbon series cation exchange membrane and electrolyzing it while feeding water to a cathodic chamber. CONSTITUTION:An aq. soln. of 10-50% concn. of quaternary ammonium chlo ride shown in a general formula (I) is fed to an anodic chamber comparted by a fluorocarbon series cation exchange membrane having the double structure wherein a layer contg. sulfonic acid group is directed to the anodic chamber and a layer contg. carboxyl group is directed to a cathodic chamber and an aq. soln. of 1-40% concn. of quaternery ammonium hydroxide is firstly intro duced into the cathodic chamber and these are electrolyzed in 5-50A/l.h anolyte current concn. A composite membrane of two sheets of cation exchange membranes having carboxyl group may be used. While adding water to the cathodic chamber because the quaternary ammonium cations of the anodic chamber enter the cathodic chamber through the exchange membrane and the concn. of quaternary ammonium hydroxide is risen, an aq. quaternary ammo nium hydroxide of the specified concn. is taken out in the high purity.