Efficient conversion of propylene to propylene glycol by coupling H2O2 electrosynthesis and TS-1 thermocatalysis

Abstract

It is highly desirable to develop an efficient and sustainable strategy for converting propylene into high value-added products under mild conditions. In this work, the tandem oxidation of propylene to propylene glycol was achieved by coupling electrosynthesis of H2O2 by 2e- ORR on an oxygen-doped carbon catalyst with thermocatalytic oxidation of propylene by H2O2 on titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) in a flow cell. For a composite catalyst with the optimal composition which balances electron transfer and H2O2 mass transport, the selectivity towards propylene glycol and the utilization efficiency of H2O2 can reach 79.7 % and 47.6 %, respectively. The yield of propylene glycol is 4.28 mmol gcat-1h−1. This study provides a promising approach to electrochemical propylene conversion in the future.