Lai Zi Iun, Lee Li Quan, Li Hong
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore.
Micromachines (Basel). 2021 Nov 16;12(11):1405. doi: 10.3390/mi12111405.
Humanity's overreliance on fossil fuels for chemical and energy production has resulted in uncontrollable carbon emissions that have warranted widespread concern regarding global warming. To address this issue, there is a growing body of research on renewable resources such as biomass, of which cellulose is the most abundant type. In particular, the electrochemical reforming of biomass is especially promising, as it allows greater control over valorization processes and requires milder conditions. Driven by renewable electricity, electroreforming of biomass can be green and sustainable. Moreover, green hydrogen generation can be coupled to anodic biomass electroforming, which has attracted ever-increasing attention. The following review is a summary of recent developments related to electroreforming cellulose and its derivatives (glucose, hydroxymethylfurfural, levulinic acid). The electroreforming of biomass can be achieved on the anode of an electrochemical cell through electrooxidation, as well as on the cathode through electroreduction. Recent advances in the anodic electroreforming of cellulose and cellulose-derived glucose and 5-hydrooxylmethoylfurural (5-HMF) are first summarized. Then, the key achievements in the cathodic electroreforming of cellulose and cellulose-derived 5-HMF and levulinic acid are discussed. Afterward, the emerging research focusing on coupling hydrogen evolution with anodic biomass reforming for the cogeneration of green hydrogen fuel and value-added chemicals is reviewed. The final chapter of this paper provides our perspective on the challenges and future research directions of biomass electroreforming.
人类在化学和能源生产方面对化石燃料的过度依赖导致了无法控制的碳排放，这引发了对全球变暖的广泛关注。为了解决这个问题，关于生物质等可再生资源的研究越来越多，其中纤维素是最丰富的类型。特别是，生物质的电化学重整尤其具有前景，因为它能更好地控制增值过程，且所需条件更为温和。在可再生电力的驱动下，生物质的电重整可以是绿色且可持续的。此外，绿色氢气的产生可以与阳极生物质电重整相结合，这已引起越来越多的关注。以下综述总结了与纤维素及其衍生物（葡萄糖、羟甲基糠醛、乙酰丙酸）电重整相关的最新进展。生物质的电重整可以通过电化学氧化在电化学电池的阳极上实现，也可以通过电还原在阴极上实现。首先总结了纤维素以及纤维素衍生的葡萄糖和5-羟甲基糠醛（5-HMF）阳极电重整的最新进展。然后，讨论了纤维素以及纤维素衍生的5-HMF和乙酰丙酸阴极电重整的关键成果。随后，综述了将析氢与阳极生物质重整相结合以联产绿色氢燃料和增值化学品的新兴研究。本文的最后一章阐述了我们对生物质电重整面临的挑战和未来研究方向的看法。
