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Electricity Storage in Biofuels: Selective Electrocatalytic Reduction of Levulinic Acid to Valeric Acid or γ‐Valerolactone
Author(s) -
Xin Le,
Zhang Zhiyong,
Qi Ji,
Chadderdon David J.,
Qiu Yang,
Warsko Kayla M.,
Li Wenzhen
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201200765
Subject(s) - chemistry , levulinic acid , faraday efficiency , valeric acid , electrolyte , selectivity , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , electrode , acetic acid
Herein, we report an effective approach to electricity storage in biofuels by selective electrocatalytic reduction of levulinic acid (LA) to high‐energy‐density valeric acid (VA) or γ‐valerolactone (gVL) on a non‐precious Pb electrode in a single‐polymer electrolyte membrane electrocatalytic (flow) cell reactor with a very high yield of VA (>90 %), a high Faradaic efficiency (>86 %), promising electricity storage efficiency (70.8 %), and a low electricity consumption (1.5 kWh L VA −1 ). The applied potential and electrolyte pH can be used to accurately control the reduction products: lower overpotentials favor the production of gVL, whereas higher overpotentials facilitate the formation of VA. A selectivity of 95 % to VA in acidic electrolyte (pH 0) and 100 % selectivity to gVL in neutral electrolyte (pH 7.5) are obtained. The effect of the molecular structure on the electrocatalytic reduction of ketone and aldehyde groups of biomass compounds was investigated. Whereas LA can be fully electroreduced to VA though a four‐electron transfer, the CO groups are only electroreduced to OH by a two‐electron‐transfer process when glyoxylic acid and pyruvic acid serve as feedstocks.