Electrochemical oxidation of lignin for production of value added chemicals Raziyeh Ghahremani and John A. Staser (Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio University) The polyphenolic structure of lignin makes it the ideal raw material to produce commercial aromatic compounds[1]. However, due to the difficulty of the conversion process of lignin, it is usually burned to produce heat and energy[2]. Electrochemical oxidation is an environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and efficient depolymerization process which can take place at relatively low pressure and temperature, and the reaction can be controlled by potential or current[1]. However, high cost of materials for preparing electrodes, also deactivation of the electrode during the reaction due to impurities makes electrochemical oxidation processes more elaborate and expensive, prohibiting its broad application[3]. Therefore, it is critical to develop a low cost and efficient electrode for the electrochemical oxidation of lignin. In this work, the inexpensive Ni-Co electrocatalysts were developed for use in the electrochemical oxidation of lignin to produce other value added chemicals. We have developed nanoparticle electrocatalysts that are suitable for a continuous flow electrochemical reactor to be integrated into existing biorefineries. Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) was applied to analyze the products and the results showed that valuable chemicals like vanillin, apocynin and other aromatic compounds are produced by the electrochemical oxidation of lignin, the concentration of chemicals also were increased during the time of oxidation. We will also present techno-economic analyses that can be used as a benchmark for integrating the electrochemical reactor into the biorefinery. [1] O. Movil, M. Garlock, and J. A. Staser, “Non-precious metal nanoparticle electrocatalysts for electrochemical modification of lignin for low-energy and cost-effective production of hydrogen,” Int. J. Hydrog. Energy, vol. 40, no. 13, pp. 4519 – 4530, 2015. [2] D. Klein-Marcuschamer, P. Oleskowicz-Popiel, B. A. Simmons, and H. W. Blanch, “Technoeconomic analysis of biofuels: A wiki-based platform for lignocellulosic biorefineries,” Biomass Bioenergy, vol. 34, no. 12, pp. 1914 – 1921, 2010. [3] Y. Zhang, Y. Peng, X. Yin, Z. Liu, and G. Li, “Degradation of lignin to BHT by electrochemical catalysis on Pb/PbO2 anode in alkaline solution,” J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol., vol. 89, no. 12, pp. 1954–1960, 2014.