Controlling the Speciation in Electroreduction of Furanics for Production of Chemicals and Fuels

Abstract

There is a significant opportunity to improve the sustainability of chemical manufacturing through the pairing of biomass-derived feedstocks with renewable electricity driven processes. Furanics are promising platform chemicals that can be applied to a broad range of chemical and fuel products. Both furfural and HMF can be electrochemically reduced through hydrogenation or hydrogenolysis using copper electrocatalysts. One of the main challenges that needs to be overcome is the control of selectivity to desired products when multiple products are possible from both the electrochemistry and the homogeneous side reactions in the electrolyte. A better mechanistic understanding of the electrochemical and homogeneous reactions is necessary to enable selectivity control. Utilizing microkinetic models fed from bulk electrolysis, in situ FTIR experiments and characterization of copper electrodes after electrochemical reaction, we have been able to elucidate pH-dependent mechanisms for the electroreduction of furfural. Learnings have been extended to HMF as well.