This review examines the reasons for increasing interest towards electrolyses by the chemical industry, reviews the electrochemical industries as most of them now exist, and provides a status report on the key technological advances which are occurring to meet present and future needs. Classical industries like those of chloroalkali, aluminium, p-aminophenol, adiponitrile, ethylene glycol, anthraquinone, perfluorinated products, glyoxylic acid and L-cysteine are initially covered. Considering the large amount of available publications in these topics of electrochemical engineering, the covered relevant information is treated at a scientific level, although in a simplified way. Then the paper deals with emerging inorganic and organic processes, e.g. electrosynthesis in ionic liquids and mediated electrochemical processes, and finishes by assessing what the future development trend might be given the electrochemical and non electrochemical competing influences. With this approach it is hoped to stimulate the interest of chemical engineers and scientists non-specialised in electrochemical routes, and to review some cutting edge research, particularly as far as electrosynthesis in ionic liquids is concerned.
electrochemical synthesis; organic chemicals; scale-up electroorganic processes; emerging inorganic processes; ionic liquids
