Selective Electrochemical Upgrading of Lignocellulosic Biomass-Derived Molecules to Fuels and Chemicals

Please join Yale Chemistry for an Inorganic/ Materials Chemistry Seminar with Kyoung-Shin Choi, Professor of Chemistry, from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Summary: The use of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock for the production of fuels and building block chemicals holds great promise due to its abundance, accessibility, and worldwide distribution. Reductive and oxidative biomass conversion can be achieved electrochemically at ambient pressure and temperature using water as the H source and O source for reduction and oxidation reactions, respectively, requiring no other chemical reductants or oxidants. The considerable and continuing decrease in the cost of electricity provided by renewable energy sources further encourages the development of electrochemical processes for fuel and chemical production. Most lignocellulosic biomass-derived intermediates contain multiple oxygenated moieties such as carbonyl and alcohol groups. For reductive upgrading of these intermediates to biofuels, deoxygenation is critical to increase the energy density and storage lifetime of bio-oils. However, electrochemical reduction that cleaves the C=O bond by hydrogenolysis to form an alkane is extremely challenging because the C=O bond more readily undergoes hydrogenation to form an alcohol and the resulting alcohol C–O bond is more difficult to cleave by hydrogenolysis. This means that electrochemical aldehyde hydrogenation is not an initial step for electrochemical aldehyde hydrogenolysis but is rather a competing step with electrochemical aldehyde hydrogenolysis. Thus, controlling the selectivity between electrochemical hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis is of great importance for selective production of desired fuels and chemicals. In this presentation, we will discuss our recent efforts in understanding the mechanistic differences between electrochemical hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis. We also show how this mechanistic understanding helps us develop effective strategies and identify reduction conditions to enhance the selectivity for electrochemical hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis.

For more information on Prof. Choi's research: Research – Choi Research Group – UW–Madison(Link is external)

Faculty Host: Prof. Hailiang Wang.

This seminar is generously sponsored by the Mrs. Hepsa Ely Silliman Memorial Fund.

Location: Sterling Chemistry Lab (SCL), Room 160