Project

Electrochemical production of biobased chemicals

Future sustainable energy production from wind and solar energy will lead to falling electricity prices and the need to store surplus electricity. Both factors make the production of biobased chemicals by means of electrochemistry very attractive. In addition, electrochemistry enables the in-situ recycling of reagents as well as other conversion reactions to biobased chemicals that are not possible with technologies such as fermentation and chemo-catalysis.

This project focuses on several proof-of-principle studies in which the use of electrochemistry – possibly in combination with fermentation or chemo/bio-catalysis – produces biobased chemicals that cannot be made at all, or made much less effectively, using other means.

Specifically, we are working on the following aspects:

• the production of valeric acid from levulinic acid.
• depolymerisation of lignin.
• oxidation of sugars.
• oxidation of fatty acids.

Publicaties

• Electrochemical COnversion of CARBohydrates (ECOCARB)

  Slaghek, Ted , Timmermans, Johan , Bisselink, Roel , Marathe, Dhruva , Giling, Erwin , Bubberman, Saskia , Raaymakers, Harry , Hagberg, Erik , Bosschaerts, Roel (2023) Wageningen: Wageningen Food & Biobased Research (Report / Wageningen Food & Biobased Research 2492)